It's Always Darkest Before Dawn
by XExplicitXAndXYouXLoveXIt
Summary: *AU DURING & POST BREAKING DAWN JACOB OC SEE BIO FOR OC* Anna and Bella are twin sisters, but they've never really gotten along. An auto accident that almost kills Anna puts things into perspective and forces her to go back to Forks to heal her injuries. But will more than her injuries be healed when Jacob Black comes into the picture again, imprinting on Anna?
1. Chapter 1

She woke up to the steady beeping of monitors, a tube inserted through her nose, no memory of how she'd gotten in the hospital in the first place. The only thing she remembered was leaving the dance studio after another unsucessful audition, crying as she pulled out of the parking lot and into the road.

The door opened and she heard talking, quiet whispers. She quickly pretended to shut her eyes and promptly groaned inwardly as she recognized the voices in the semi darkened room around her as those of her twin sister, Bella, and Bella's soon to be husband, Edward.

Bits and pieces of the conversation came and went and she lie there just hoping to God they'd leave, wondering who in the hell called either of them.

"She's not sleeping, Bella." Edward observed as Bella flipped the switch, flooding the room with light.

The first thing Anna noticed was that her twin sister looked concerned, pale. The thought that her twin was showing concern for someone other than herself had Anna raising a brow, furrowing it as she pulled at a tube in her arm.

"Don't pull at those." Bella said quietly as she reached for her sister's hand, trying to get it away from the tubes inserted into her arms and hooked to the machines next to the small sterile looking hospital bed.

"I'm getting the hell out of here." Anna grumbled as she gave Bella a dirty look. They hadn't ever really gotten along well, beyond the fact that they were sisters.

It just always felt (to both of them, though they'd yet to realize it) that their parents preferred one over the other, though the argument as to which twin was the 'favorited' one was an unsettled and bitter one.

Or maybe she was just always that pale. Their mother always did say that Bella was the moon child, Anna was the sun child, as Bella never went outside all that much and Anna would've lived outdoors if you'd have let her, when they were kids.

Anna tried to sit, winced when she realized how much it hurt as she said quietly, "Who called you?"

"The nurse here did. She was concerned, nobody came to even check in on you or ask if you'd been seen. So she went through your phone and got my number off. You wreck and wind up in the hospital, in a coma for almost a week and the first thing you ask is who called me?" Bella asked, biting her lower lip.

Anna said "Well forgive me for not picking up the god damn phone while I was in the process of trying to save my own ass. Next time I'll be more thoughtful of everyone else. That's where you were going with that, right? How I'm the cold and selfish one?"

"You said it, not me."

Edward cleared his throat, then said quietly, "I'm gonna go tell Charlie and Renee that she's awake now."

" Bella, you called Mom and Dad here too? It was just a fucking wreck.. I'll be fine."

"Sis.. You almost died when they bought you in. You really don't know what happened, do you?" Bella asked as Anna shook her head and said "The last thing I remember is taking my eye off the road for a split second for some reason or another. Then I woke up in here."

"Your car was almost the size of a tuna can. The doctors said it was luck even that you lived through it, and if you'd been wearing your seatbelt, you'd have died because you couldn't go through the windshield like you did to get thrown from the car. So no, Anna, it wasn't just a wreck.' Bella said quietly as she bit her lower lip, studied her sister intently.

The door opened and her father and mother, her stepfather walked in. "Thank God you are awake." they all said in unison as Anna shrugged and said " I'm fine."

"You gave all of us a scare." Charlie said as he looked at his daughter in concern. He hadn't actually seen her ,save for 3 times, when he went to visit her, in almost 6 years, since she'd moved to California, living with Renee's mother.

He never understood why she didn't just come with Bella, given that she'd always loved Forks when she was younger and came to visit in the summer.

He'd wanted them both to come, he figured she knew that, but didn't want to move to Forks with her twin sister.

And sitting here now, he and Renee both were starting to see that their daughters clearly had issues that they needed to work through.

Anna coughed as she raked her hand slowly through brightly dyed platinum blonde hair. "I'm fine, guys, really." she said uncomfortably, feeling already as if the walls were closing in on her, because from her point of view, she was used to Bella getting all the attention and fawning over.

Of course, Bella had no clue Anna felt this way. She'd mostly envied her sister because where Bella hadn't ever done well with handling pain and heartbreak, her sister was tough as nails. Where Bella was clumsy and quiet as well as a bit of a loner, Anna had always been graceful, good at sports, quick witted and funny, made friends easily.

And like Anna, she too had heard her fair share of "Why can't you be more like Anna?" Or "That twin sister of yours, Bella, she's so funny." or "I wanted to ask Anna to the movies, Bella, but she won't say yes to me. Will you go with me to the movies instead?"

Carlisle, Bella's father in law peeked in and said "I just talked to the doctors, Charlie, if you want to talk to them?"

Charlie nodded and walked out of the room with Renee to go find the doctor Carlisle talked to about his daughter's injuries.

Out in the waiting room, Alice gasped as she got another vision. She walked into the room, hanging back, out of sight, not wanting to intrude on Bella's time with her twin. It'd been hard on Bella to get the call, especially given that she and Anna weren't really that close and never really had been.

"You dyed your hair?"

"Yeah. I kinda think the blonde suits me more. So, you're actually gonna marry the guy, huh.." Anna said as she leaned her head back on her pillow, squeezing her eyes shut tightly against the pain that was edging it's way into her subconscious.

"Yeah." Bella said quietly, the silence between them almost deafening, definitely awkward.

Anna laughed a little and then said "Let me know how that works out for ya." as she went to stand, winced and sat back down. "Very, very bad idea."

"I'd think so, sis." Bella pointed out as Anna rolled her eyes a little, then studied her sister quietly, warily.

She remembered the last thing that went through her mind, in the last few minutes of the wreck, her two biggest regrets in life. She'd gotten a second chance to fix them. Now she just had to decide if she actually wanted to fix things or just leave them alone.

" So, umm.. When's the wedding?" Anna asked quietly, just making conversation.

"It's next month. August. I mailed you an invite on Monday and I tried to call." Bella said quietly as Anna nodded and then said "Thanks.. Not sure why you'd want me there, but thanks."

"Oh come on, don't say that." Bella said quietly as Anna sighed and then said in an equally quiet voice, "Come on, Bells, we're both adults now. Let's just drop the act, okay? We've never actually gotten along."

"We do, just.. We're not close. Which I hate." Bella said as Anna nodded and said grimly, "Me too. But I just.. I can't get past all the stuff I had to hear as a kid.. "

"What do you mean you? Do you realize Mike Newton only wanted to take me to the movies, sis, that time we all went, when you visited, is because you said no?" Bella blurted as Anna laughed and said "Really? Because he told me that he was only asking me because he really had this huge crush on you, and he didn't know how to ask. So I told him no, that I wasn't the slightest bit interested in him then said "There's your excuse, Newton." while smirking at her sister.

"Wow."

"Yeah. Looking back on it, the shit you've let that.. That other guy, Edward put you through since.. Maybe you should have just taken that as a sign.. You could be Mrs. Newton right now.."

"Edward is NOT a bad guy."

"Yeah? Well correct me if I'm wrong, but who just walked away and left you in the fucking woods? Who stayed gone for almost 6 damn months?"

"We worked through all that. Why the hell do you care?" Bella blurted as Anna shrugged then smirking said "You're right.. Why do I care." before going silent, staring at the damn machines and tubes as if they were her own worst enemy currently.

Bella grumbled and turned to walk out, where Charlie caught up to her and then said quietly, "I wish you two wouldn't fight like you do."

"Me too, dad. But every time I try to.. Nevermind."

"Invite her to your wedding."

"I already did, dad. And somehow, I just don't think she'll be coming."

"She's going to have to, because she's not staying here, alone. She's coming back to Forks with me."

"Dad, you know she's going to fight you on it."

"Maybe not." Charlie said as he bit his thumb in thought and then said quietly, "You two do need to work things out. You're sisters, you shouldn't spend all your time fighting one another."

Bella nodded and walked farther down the hallway, getting pulled into the bathroom by Rosalie and Alice who said calmly, "You're okay?"

"Yeah, guys. Just glad she's awake and alive. The doctors seem to think she was actually trying to give up or something. And I'm struggling to figure out why. Why would you try to give up on life, if you have the ideal one, if you're the perfect person that everyone seems to think you are."

Alice said quietly, "She's gotta come back, Bells.. It's the only way she's ever going to be happy."

"Huh?"

"Alice saw something concerning your favorite ex best dog friend. Apparently, your sister is his imprint. He's already imprinted her, just won't realize it until he sees her again."

"Whoa, huh? How?"

"Her last visit, when they got into that friendship ending argument and she left to go back to California. He'd just phased then and he imprinted on her during the damn argument." Alice explained as Rosalie nodded and then added, "If she comes back, it's also going to fix your relationship with each other.. Sort of. I mean I'm not saying you two are going to be best friends, but you'll at least be able to talk to one another without storming out of the room in anger."

Down the hall, Charlie stepped into his daughter's hospital room and said quietly, "Your mom and I have been talking, and we think that you should stay with one of us until you're back on your feet again."

"Dad, really, I'm fine, okay?" Anna said quietly as Charlie insisted, "Why not just come back to Forks with me? I thought you loved it there when you were little."

"Dad, I just.. I have audtions and work.. I can't just uproot myself because I got a little bent and banged up."

"Anna, you're not a little bent and banged up. The doctors said that you're lucky your walking right now. Just let someone take care of you." Charlie said as Anna raised a brow while looking down at her lap.

_'Let someone take care of me? Really, dad? But princess Bella.. Don't her own damn needs and wants come first? Isn't that why I got so damn good at taking care of me in the first place?' _Anna thought to herself, instantly feeling guilty about it. It wasn't necessarily anyone's fault she felt like Bella was always going to be the favorite or the 'good child' or the 'princess'.

But Bella didn't have to fucking capitalize on everyone's doting on her.

She squeezed her eyes shut as a fresh wave of pain hit her and said through gritted teeth, "Fine, dad. I'll come back to Forks with you. But when I'm healed.. What happens then?"

"It'd be nice if you stayed. I miss having you around." Charlie said as Anna shrugged and said quietly, "I'll see how it goes, Dad."

Somehow, he was determined to get through whatever this thing that kept Anna isolating herself from everyone was. She didn't seem happy, she hadn't seemed happy in a really, really long time, now that he actually sat down and thought about it.

The doctor's words about the coma kept coming back to him. How she could've woken up at any time, it was just like she didn't want to wake up or something. And if that was so, then Charlie felt like his daughter needed him, and in her own quiet way, she was reaching out.

He hoped so, because he just wanted both of them to be happy, safe and loved, doing exactly what they wanted in their lives.

With Bella, apparently, it was getting married.

With Anna, he wasn't really sure anymore. She said she wanted to join an international dance troupe and see the world, but if she really wanted that, she'd look a hell of a lot more happy than she did right now, he liked to think.

The doctors came in and after an extensive checkup and monitoring session, they told Renee and Charle that she'd be able to leave in the morning.

"You guys can go and get some sleep, it's okay." Anna said as she looked at her family, biting her lower lip.

"Alice and I went to your place.. I, umm, bought you some clothes and stuff back.. Since Dad's taking you straight back to Forks tomorrow." Bella said as Alice added, "That beach house is so .. I'd love to live right on the beach."

"Trust me.. Not when a storm's comin in, Alice." Anna managed to joke as she winced when she tried to laugh. "Damn it. What didn't I break?" she muttered as she gave everyone a careful hug goodbye. It was only herself and her father left in the room, and she tried to get comfortable, tried to fall asleep, but for some reason, she couldn't.

Why in the hell had she let herself be talked into going back to Forks? And when she went back, would anything be different this time?

"Yeah, this is gonna go real smooth." she muttered to herself as she lie there in the dark, wondering what awaited her and if she could actually fix things with her sister?

She wanted to, you don't survive a major car accident (though given she didn't remember said accident, so to her, of course, it was minor) and wake up, not want to change at least a few things in your life.

Of course, she had no idea just how major the changes in her life were actually going to be.


	2. Chapter 2

She winced as the terrain beneath the tires of the car she currently sat in went from smooth blacktop to slightly rougher and bumpier blacktop. The lush and thick forests she'd spent so many hours playing in as a little girl the summers she came to visit faded from view, and the small brick buildings dotting the main street of Forks, Washington came into view about the same time as the town limits sign came into view.

Staring out the window, she read the signs and names painted in the windows of the businesses and small stores that made up the official main street of the small town, while she mused to herself about the past few days with her father and how they'd finally had that much needed talk. Things were settled, for the most part and she now felt like an idiot, because she was coming to realize that as much as she thought her father wouldn't want her here, when Bella initially moved here, that's probably as much as her father was hoping she would move here with her twin sister.

He'd asked her where she and Bella both got this idea that one of them was loved more than the other, and she'd told him that every time she turned around, it felt like, to her, Bella wanted or needed something, and ultimately got her own way. And then Bella told her father and Anna, which shocked her, really, that she'd felt the same way, every time Anna wanted something. Of course, they were in no means best friends or anything, but they were working towards eventually being a lot closer as sisters should be which was what she really wanted, more than anything.

Charlie cleared his throat as they passed a small deep red brick diner and asked, "Are you hungry? We used to go in there all the time when you were little.. You always got the peach cobbler, Bella always got blueberry. I thought maybe we could go in and grab a bite?" hopefully as he watched his daughter, making sure she weren't in too much pain.

Anna nodded, her stomach had chosen the exact moment that Charlie mentioned the super sweet and buttery, almost golden baked and crisp peach cobbler to start growling, demanding food. Stifling a laugh, she said "Yeah, I knew that was coming." before turning her attention back to her thoughts.

Despite all her better attempts, she found herself wondering what Jacob Black was doing now. And she groaned inwardly as she reminded herself the sort of promise she'd made to herself. She was not going to work her ass off for the attentions of a guy who'd never choose her first.

That'd been probably one of her bigger problems when she'd been a teenager. Knowing someone that long, liking, no loving them that much. She scowled. That was something her twin sister would do. Her parents had basically spent the last week or so reinforcing the idea that they were two different people, that they were both loved completely by both parents for the two different and individual people they were, the young women they were turning into.

At least that's what the family counsellor they'd all went in to see before leaving and going their seperate ways at the end of the week told them. The counsellor's advice in itself had helped a lot. She and Bella were at the very least attempting to include one another in the other's lives, which is how Anna found herself roped into going to Bella's wedding and being a bridesmaid.

The car's sudden stop in movement drew Anna out of her thoughts and she stretched, or tried to, while she waited on her father to come around and help her out. "Daaad, really. I can walk, sir, carrying me in is not necessary." Anna pointed out as her father shrugged and said calmly, "The crutch isn't exactly your friend yet, Anna, and it's raining."

She fell silent and once they were seated in a booth, she maneuvered herself around so that her leg stretched across the remainder of the wooden and blue velvet cushioned seat. Taking a menu from the center of the small light wooden table, she leaned her head against her hand as she caught sight of Mike Newton walking in. "Ahh great." she muttered as Charlie snickered. From what he remembered of Anna's last visit, she spent a good bit of it avoiding Mike, said the guy annoyed her some how. Charlie could see where Mike's popping up all the time would get annoying, but he said nothing.

Mike spotted her, of course, and walked over, wincing. "Ouch.. What happened?" he asked, as he slid into a chair, looked at her, then asked in the same breath, "Are you back for Bella's wedding? I still can't believe she's gonna marry him."

"Me either, Newton, but hey, it's not my life, so.. And apparently, this" she said as she gestured to the stitches and the cast, the heavily taped up forearm, " Is what happens when like an idiot, you take your eye off the road for even a split second, in rush hour California traffic."

"That's where you were?" Mike asked, gaping at her before smiling and saying, "I'm originally from California.. My family moved here when I was about 10." and then just sitting there.

She didn't seem as angry, bitter or as closed off as she had before. She'd been a reluctant friend of his, he considered her a friend, where as where he was concerned, Anna more or less just considered and then decided against. Maybe going to California for whatever reason she'd went for, helped her.

"Really? I had no idea." Anna said as she turned to her father and asked, "So, dad.. I believe you promised peach cobbler?" with a light smile as she finished eating her lasagna. Charlie nodded and waving a waiter over, ordered desert and Mike, apparently, decided to make himself comfortable, testing Anna's patience, inwardly.

She might not still have the exact same mindset she'd had before the accident, where her family, her twin and their thoughts on her were concerned, but even now, looking past the fact that he'd been one of those who seemed to prefer Bella to anyone else, the guy just still rubbed her the wrong way somehow.

"So, how have you been? I mean you hardly ever came back to visit after that last summer." Mike asked, looking at Anna who promptly shoveled the last huge bite of lasagna into her mouth, pretending that the slightly dry and tasteless (mostly thanks the the meds she was on as perscripted by her doctor for pain and injury, she figured) lasagna was the best meal she'd ever eaten, just to avoid his harmless, yet thought provoking and angst inducing question.

Charlie tried not to laugh. Now that she picked up from him. Neither of the girls were ever really comfortable with talking about themselves or being asked about themselves, though it'd bothered Bella a great deal more than it had Anna as a kid. Anna, though, it depended on what you asked, and what her answer might cause.

"I got into UCLA. I've been going to a performing arts program there, it's sorta cool. Tried auditioning for this dance company called Fernwood, but I haven't made it.. Yet." Anna said, emphasizing the word yet, so Mike wouldn't get any cute ideas and think she was back for good, because as far as she knew, she was not in fact, back for good.

"So you still want to dance, huh?" Mike asked as he looked at her, watched her practically come alive at the mention of her whole dancing thing. If this part of her had been allowed out more, when she was visiting last time, he mused to himself as he smiled at her. "Yeah, I do."

"But it's going to be a while before she does again, right Anna." Charlie said as he looked from Mike to Anna, trying not to laugh a little. It was obvious to anyone, except Newton, of course, that right now, if Anna had use of both of her legs and her full speed about her, she'd be running for the nearest exit.

Which was too bad, because maybe if she had something to keep her here when she healed, Charlie thought to himself, she'd finally stay put, he'd finally get to have time with Anna.

Anna nodded but quickly gave Mike a look and said calmly, "But not like, years or anything." as she swallowed her lasagna at last, took a huge sip of the sweet tea sitting in front of her on the small wooden diner table.

Mike left and Anna playfully poked at her father with a crutch as she said "Daaad, seriously? Mike freaking Newton. Gahh." while shaking her head as Charlie gave a slight laugh and then said "Well, he's not a bad guy.." before trailing off and looking at his daughter, then asking finally, "Why'd you dye your hair bright blonde?"

"The sun kept bleaching it in the summer, kept making me get a light brown skunk streak. So I figured I dye it blonde, it hides the damn streak. Now I have a nosy one for you, sir.. This thing.. You and Sue Clearwater? Are you two serious? I mean I vaguely remember her, dad, she seemed like a really sweet and way less complicated lady than Mom." Anna said as she shoveled food in, waited expectantly on her father to answer.

"Yeah, I think it might be getting there." Charlie said as he asked, "And now I have another nosy and fatherly question.. Did you leave anyone behind in California?"

"Me? Sir, you joke, surely. I'm married to dance, and my job at Victorias Secret and my classes at UCLA were my mistresses." Anna said as she sighed and said "Besides, the guys out there. They're all worried about fame, looks, money. Everything they do is for image and image alone.. I dated this guy, he was a semi pro wrestler, but it went nowhere. He told me that I might present myself as single, but I was mentally taken or something. I didn't question it, I just let him get the hell out." Anna shook her head as her father mused, "Never heard that excuse before. Wow, times have changed, I guess."

"No, guys just aren't good anymore.. I mean with the exception of you, of course. I didn't say this when we were all at counselling, daddy, but I will now.. The one thing I admired when you and Mom divorced, was that you didn't do the typical male with wounded ego thing and go after her, try to tear her down in our eyes. You two always talked things over about me and Bella, you two at least tried to be friends."

Charlie smiled and then said quietly, "Thanks. And I didn't tell you this when we all were in that counselling session, but I've always thought your determination was amazing. I mean when your mother and I started you and Bella in the dance classes and Bella quit, we never thought you'd keep going, or much less decide to and nearly succeed in pursuing a career at it. Only maybe 1 of 10 people who want to make it as a professional dancer, Anna, do. The fact that you even got to try out for Fernwood not once but 4 times is really saying something."

Anna smiled then said quietly, "Maybe that was just a sign that I need to try and find another passion. I mean it got so that at the end, before my wreck, every time I got cut at an audition for Fernwood, I was just getting more and more depressed, and working myself too hard. There's other things I can do and still be involved in dancing. There have to be." as she chewed on her straw and then took a sip of her tea, thinking about what she would do next.

What if she went back for her checkup in a few weeks and the doctors told her that not only had she severely broken her lower left leg, but she'd also messed up muscles, nerves and there in, ended her dream to dance professionally, before it ever really started.

She didn't quite know how she'd handle that, so she just hoped to all hell it didn't come to that.

The door to the diner opened and Sue Clearwater walked in with Seth and Leah, Charlie smiling as he stood to hug Sue, let her chair out. "So you got her to come home. I'm glad. We missed seeing her." Sue smiled as Anna nodded and said quietly, "Thanks." feeling a little more than embarassed by her appearance, currently.

She hated being caught without makeup or her hair done, in her sweats and a tanktop, which is what she was wearing now, a pair of faded gray gym shorts and a white tanktop with a hoodie.

Thanks to the scars on her face, for now, she couldn't wear makeup. And now, more than ever, she realized just how much she'd depended on the stuff before, how ingrained in her psyche it was that she had to look perfect, all the time. Where this little thing stemmed from, Anna had no idea.

Seth asked a few moments later, "So.. Bells showed us the car. How fast were you going?"

"Ironically, Seth.. I wasn't going very fast. I was maybe going 25, I'd just left the parking lot of the Fernwood dance studio. Someone came barrelling through at about 90, and hit my car before I realized what was happening. Pisses me off, it was a Mustang. I was actually quite attached to my car." Anna pouted a moment as Leah said quietly, "I'm just glad you got out of the thing alive, Anna." while looking at her old friend in concern, trying to figure out what was different about her.

She didn't seem as tense or sullen, as down as she had the last time she'd visited Charlie and left abruptly. Maybe California had done her a lot of good.

"So, dad.. Can we get our other stuff to go? I don't wanna push my luck and run into Jessica Numbnuts." Anna blurted, making Seth and Leah burst into laughter as they said "Oh yeah. You two never actually got along."

"Nope, and I've already seen Mike Newton today. Not fond of making it 2 for 2. I don't think there's enough pain medicine in the free world I could take to make her any less annoying."

"So.. How was Mike?" Leah asked, trying not to laugh as Anna scowled and Charlie said "Let's just put it this way. If she'd had the use of both of her legs, and her full speed, she'd have made a mad dash for the exit the second she saw him coming in."

Leah nodded and then said to Anna quietly, "He does have that effect on the ladies."

"Oh but he was big man on campus at Forks High." Anna joked as Sue said "Girls, be nice."

"Yes ma'am." the two girls joked as they all filed out of the restaurant, going back to her father's small 2 story house. She looked up at it as she sat in the passenger seat in the driveway, then her eyes drifted to the back yard, to the tire swing, and she bit her lower lip as she remembered all the times she and Jacob, Rachel and Rebecca, Leah and Seth played on it together. She sighed as she reminded herself quietly, "Forward, Anna. Not backward. You're here to heal and try and fix your messed up relationships with your family. Not torture yourself with what ifs and never haves." before getting out of the car, and letting her father help her up the stone walkway and into the sparsely decorated pale green living room, settling her in on his ancient couch. They'd both agreed that until she got a little better with the crutches, she needed to sleep on the couch, at least until the weekend, when he could move the bed in the old bedroom she and Bella shared as kids downstairs for her.

She didn't mind. At least down here, she had noise to occupy her mind, she wasn't alone in her thoughts so much and tormenting herself with not having accomplished anything she originally set out to, or how her career might be over before it began, thanks to this wreck.


	3. Chapter 3

Early morning noises crowded into her barely awake subconscious, and she grimaced as she rolled over on the small yet comfortable and worn out dark brown sofa, stretching a little as she peeked around the small light green living room. Then it hit her, she wasn't in Malibu, at her beach house anymore. She was in Forks, Washington, with her father. The wreck she'd had the most epic of nightmares about the night before, remembering all of it, finally, had really happened, and as a result, her life's ambition just might be gone before she even really got anywhere acceptable to her with it.

"You're awake. I made toast." Charlie said as she nodded, grimaced as she raised herself to a sitting position, wincing. Bruised ribs were a real bitch kitty, apparently. "Thanks, dad.. I mean you didn't have to." she said as she made her way slowly, carefully into the small dining area just off the kitchen and took a seat at the table, tearing into the toast and eggs, smiling when she realized he remembered she loved over easy eggs.

"Careful, don't choke." Charlie cautioned her as she said through a mouth full, "Sorry, this is just.. It's good. I make the worst over easy eggs in the world. To have them again the way you used to make them for me and Bells." before stopping to cough, because of course, the food had indeed went down the wrong pipe and she'd choked a little.

"Are you sure you'll be alright here, all day, by yourself?" Charlie asked, concerned. Maybe he should have gotten Bella or someone to sit with her while he was working, but she'd been insistant the night before, she'd be fine. "Yeah, I'll probably watch the re - air of this pro wrestling show I've gotten into or something, maybe a few soap operas I always missed because of class." Anna said quietly as she added, "Dad, you have to work. What you do is important."

"Not as important as making sure my daughter's okay." Charlie pointed out, again reinforcing what the family counselor told him, that both he and Renee had to enforce the fact that they loved both of their daughters the same, for both of them, that it'd eventually help Bella and Anna realize that one wasn't preferred over the other where their parents were concerned, and maybe eventually, it'd heal the rift there.

A knock at the door had them both looking at one another, brows raised and when Charlie opened the door, he said casually, "I was just about to call you, Bella and see if you'd at least come by and check on Anna today. I got a call into the station." Bella hugged her father and asked quietly, "Well? Did anything get worked out when you two rode home?" as she looked up at him in concern. She and Charlie worked out their own small differences before they left the family counseling session so he'd have more time to focus on the issues at hand with Anna.

And make up for lost time.

"Yeah, we did, actually." Charlie said back quietly as he heard her start singing an oldies song while washing out her dish and putting it into the sink. "It's nice, not being here by myself."

Anna stepped into the den and then said "Bella, like I told Dad.. I'll be fine. I have both of your numbers if I really need anything. You have a wedding to plan and dad has work to do. "

"Actually, Anna, that's why I'm here. I thought maybe you could help me and Alice plan some of it. Maybe show me what kind of bridesmaid dress you want to wear? We're sort of mixing them up, everyone's wearing the same color dress, but a different style." Bella said as Charlie made his way out the door for work and Bella sat down on the couch.

Anna turned on the old stereo in the corner of the room, flipping until she found a pop station that played mostly early 90's pop and sat down carefully, sipping a glass of sweet tea as she said "Well? Let's see the dresses. I do like shopping."

She grimaced when she realized that her scars wouldn't be anywhere close to faded by the time the wedding happened, and she'd look like Frankenstein or a baseball with arms and legs. "Damn it." she muttered quietly as Bella asked, "What's wrong?"

"I just realized how bad I'm going to look still, by the time the wedding gets here. Are you sure you want me in the wedding party?" Anna asked, looking at her twin sister, her hand in her hair as Bella nodded and said "Yes, Anna.. Because even when we were little, when I thought of my wedding, I always knew I'd bug you until you were in it. You're my sister."

Anna nodded and then raised a brow asked suspiciously, "You started planning your wedding then?"

"Sort of, yes, why? You didn't?"

"Umm, no. The longest running plan I've ever made was getting into Fernwood." Anna lied as Bella coughed and said quietly, "Bullshit, sis."

"And how the hell would you know, Bells?"

"Because, Anna.. I used to read your journal, all the time. You were always really really crappy at hiding it. You had the whole wedding planned. Right down to the groom." Bella said as she sighed and then added quietly, "And it's not too late." while remembering the conversation she'd had with Jacob just an hour ago, when she'd confronted him about how stupid it was, his plan to live out his life in wolf form. She knew everything now, including how Jacob really felt about Anna.

"Bella, don't fucking meddle." Anna ground out as she immediately said "Sorry. I just.. My plans had to change. I grew up, grew outta that." shrugging casually, hoping Bella hadn't read too much into her snapping when she dropped the hint about Jacob Black and maybe trying again.

But of course, Bella had read into it and said quietly, "This is a small town, sis. Eventually, whether you want to or not, you will cross paths again."

"Nope, not gonna happen. If he's gonna be somewhere, I just won't go."

"And that's not gonna happen.. because I invited him to the wedding." Bella admitted as Anna gave her a dirty look and leaning back on the dark colored sofa she said quietly, "Damn it, sis. Why would you do that? I mean seriously? The poor guy was head over heels for you and you chose Edward over him.. Why rub salt in the wound?"

"Because he actually doesn't care about any of that anymore. Not everyone holds a grudge like you do, sis, for a million and one years and counting." Bella stated firmly as she added, "He didn't want to go.. Until I told him you'd be there."

Anna gave her sister a dirtier look and standing, she made her way into the kitchen, poured two glasses of tea, walked back into the small and homely den, sat back down on the couch next to her sister as she handed her one of the glasses, then took a sip from the other before pointing out, "And? So he knows I'm alive now. Whoop de doo. Like I said, Bella, completely and totally over it. So what I planned out our wedding when I was 10. I'm not a kid anymore, I need to grow up and accept.."

Bella closed the book of bridesmaids dresses and then looked at her sister as she leaned in a little, letting Anna lean against her slightly as she asked, "Accept what?"

"That sometimes, when you really want something in life, you inevitably get fucked out of it somehow. And no, Bella, before you go getting defensive, I don't blame you anymore. He just didn't want me. I need to get over it. And I have.. Sort of." Anna said as she bit her lower lip, took the magazine and then said in a false bright voice, "So.. Let's get my dress picked out, shall we?"

Bella let the subject go and opened the notebook she had everything carefully organized in, for her wedding, as she scooted down to sit on the hard wood floor in front of the small coffee table and her sister.

She turned a few pages and she gasped as she saw the dress she wanted to wear as a bridesmaid. Leaning in a little, she put the book in front of Bella and then said "If you get my purse, there's a credit card in there."

"I'll buy it, sis."

"Nope, not gonna happen. I'm gonna pay for my dress." Anna insisted as she gave her sister a firm look and then said "So.. Which dress is yours?"

Bella flipped over a few pages and showed Anna. Anna scrunched up her nose and then said "That one? Bella, it's your wedding day.. You're really gonna look back in 20 years and be happy with that dress?"

"Yeah, we're definitely opposites." Bella laughed as Anna showed her the dress she'd pick, if it were her wedding, adding as an afterthought, "Not gonna have to worry about that though." as she managed a shrug and then said "I realized when I was living in California, maybe I'm a hard person to live with."

"Somewhat, yeah." Bella admitted as she said, "But I'm not an easy one to live with, sis. Nobody is. But seriously.. Were you really gonna let him ride his motorcycle after it was over?" with a raised brow, stifling a laugh.

"Yeah. I was. It was sort of a retro themed thing, Bella, did you not get that point when you read the way I had it planned out?" Anna asked, laughing at how ridiculous it all sounded now. Maybe she'd go up to the attic later, when Bella left, dig the old journals out and read them, laugh at how much she clearly did not know as a kid.

Or maybe she needed to just forget the past, completely. She bit her lower lip and once again reminded herself that the past wasn't where she wanted to be stuck. She wanted to move forward, she needed to move forward. Bella's saying quietly, "So, I saw Mike earlier."

"Ughh."

"And he said he saw you and dad at the diner last night. You eat peach cobbler and don't even think I might want a piece of blueberry?" Bella joked as Anna laughed and then said "So sue me. You eat that crap they dish out in hospitals, sis, and you tell me if you wouldn't have done the same."

They stopped talking and managed smiles. This was the longest they'd been in a really, really long time, without an argument. Granted, they still did not completely get along, but at least now, they could have conversations and joke without someone storming out of the room in anger.

An hour later, found them ordering the dress online, and having it shipped so that Anna could be fitted for it. Bella hid a smirk as she realized that the tuxedo she made Jacob pick was shipping on the same day, and they'd be there at the same time. But she reminded herself she'd promised Anna not to meddle.

Sitting back on the couch, Anna turned on the tv, found a soap opera and ignored the raised brow her sister gave her as she got up and went into the small and neat kitchen, poured herself a bowl of cereal and came back, wiggling herself around as best as she could until she was comfortable in front of the television.

"What? I'm going to make myself enjoy being a lazy potato until I'm healed, Bells." Anna said through a mouth full of cereal, as she got caught up in the show's plot and started yelling at the television in the little Italian she'd learned thanks to a course she'd taken online to learn to speak Italian. When she started this, Bella's eyes shifted to her twin and she asked, "Huh?"

" I taught myself Italian." Anna replied through a mouth full of cereal as she added, "Because I was gonna go to Sicily after I graduated but I chickened out." Bella studied her twin a moment, as she leaned back into the couch and processed just how much she didn't know about her twin sister, apparently. Had their differences really kept them that far apart?

Apparently, they had. Bella found herself getting sucked into the show too, and when she looked up at the clock, it was almost 4 pm. "I'm gonna go back to Edwards. If you need anything, just call me." Bella said as she stood and stretched, hugging her sister carefully. Anna hugged her back and said firmly,"Go. Go spend time with your husband, damn it, leave me to my fantasies of this incredibly sexy mobster."

As soon as Bella was out of the house, Anna sighed quietly, raked her hands through her hair, again finding herself wondering what Jacob Black was doing right now. And again, she scowled at herself and reminded herself she was just here to appease her parents and her sister, so they wouldn't all drive her batshit insane while she got back on her feet.

She was not back here for him, and whatever she did feel for him, it was probably for the best if it stayed buried way down deep within her. She didn't feel like being hurt again.

She'd just settled into a CSI Vegas marathon, around 6, according to the clock on the dvd player in the entertainment system, when she heard a howling noise outside in the back yard, near the trees that lead into the woods. Curious, she stood and grabbed her crutch, clumsily navigating to the patio door, peering out into the back yard, the sun sinking lower in the sky, making it a little harder to see thanks to the trees surrounding the back of the house.

"It was probably nothing." she muttered to herself as she slid the sliding door shut and stepped back into the kitchen, her hand in her hair. Almost as soon as she'd slid the patio door shut, she heard the howl again. She grumbled to herself, reminded herself that this was not California, there were wolves here and they did upon occasion howl for some reason or another.

But when the howl came a third time, and closer to the patio door, she turned around slowly, flipping the light switch for the outdoor light that hung over the awning on the patio as she walked back to the door, her hand in her hair, peering out into the almost blue and purple tinted night.

This time, when she slid the patio door open, she found a rather large russet colored wolf sitting on the patio, watching her in curiousity. "Holy fucking hell. I've never seen a wolf just come up and sit on someone's patio before." Anna muttered as she approached the thing clumsily, her heart about to beat out of her chest, her hand out slightly in front of her as the crutches rested against the door frame. When she looked at it's eyes, they almost looked human. It had her blinking for a moment and she also wondered if she weren't having some bizarre reaction to the pain medicine she was on for her injuries. Then it came closer, and she found herself going back mentally, to the legends her father's friend, Billy Black used to tell when they all camped together. Bella never really listened, she was always playing with Jacob. But Anna, Rachel and Rebecca sat listening for hours until Billy made them all go to sleep. Then the three girls would lay there and whisper about the stories in the dark.

"Nah, there's no freaking way any of that was true. It was his way of telling us three girls a fairytale. The Indian warrior who shifts into a wolf to protect his tribe, imprints on an indian maiden, falls madly in love with her. The end." Anna explained the human look to the wolf's eyes away as she sank down into the patio chair carefully, wincing as it still hurt like hell.

Jacob had been following the scent trail all damn afternoon, it seemed like, so when he found himself in the back yard of Bella and Anna's father, he raised a brow, until the door to the patio slid open and Anna warily stepped out, looking around. As soon as the scent hit his nostrils, he immediately felt like time slowed down, almost stopping. The same way he'd felt the last time he smelled this smell and it almost drove him crazy trying to find it again. Now, apparently it was back. Which meant Anna was back.. His suspicions proved correct as she stepped out onto the patio, approaching him warily. He gaped at her, the injuries from the wreck, and just how beautiful she'd grown up to be. _'Why in the hell did you dye your hair blonde though, Anna?' _he thought to himself as he mused on just how messed up the situation at hand was.

He'd essentially tried to make himself imprint on Bella, and he thought he had, the last time both she and Anna had been in Forks at the same when it'd been too late, he'd figured out it was Anna, and she'd left to go back to California, where she lived when she wasn't visiting Charlie.

He'd figured that knowing Anna, she'd eventually get over it, she wouldn't be mad at him for speaking up about the way she and Bella treated each other and the rather harsh things Anna said when she'd seen first hand what Edward leaving Bella did to her, and that when the next summer rolled around, she'd come back.

And then a year went by. And two or three more. Now it was up to 5, no 6 years, and he'd been angry lately, he and Bella fought recently about the point of imprinting, if the person he imprinted on hated him so much that she'd rather be anywhere but Forks.

He could now willingly admit it'd been stupid to try and force himself to believe he'd imprinted on Bella, when he'd told her his secret that last summer, leaving Anna out, mostly because he just always thought that she didn't like him even as a friend, not realizing then that the exact opposite was when they were kids, when he did have a huge crush on Anna, she just never seemed interested in him, so he'd spent a lot of time with Bella, where Anna spent huge amounts of time with his older sisters.

Jacob studied her intently as he wandered closer to her, just to be sure that it was her, the scent he'd been chasing almost all afternoon. When he realized it was, another realization hit him, making his stomach churn. If that wreck had killed her.. He'd have lost her before he ever even got to tell her how he felt and that he'd imprinted her. The thought had him sitting down on the patio, and he watched her sitting in the chair, mostly looking like she was in the grips of some intense mental battle, as she slowly stroked his fur, managed a smile when he nuzzled his nose against the palm of her hand.

_'When Leah and Seth said you were lucky to come out of that wreck alive, Anna, they meant it. I almost lost you.. I mean granted, as far as I know, you hate me, Anna, but if you only really knew how sorry I was.. I shouldn't have kept sticking my nose in, taking up for Bella. I didn't realize you were saying everything because you did like me back, you were hurt because of all the time I spent with her the whole time we all knew each other. You never said anything that even made me think you might like me even a little.. But I want to fix that.' _Jacob thought to himself.

Anna rummaged through the pocket of her hoodie, pulling out her Iphone and turning on an oldies playlist on her phone. She leaned back a little in the patio chair, looked up at the sky. Everything seemed like it moved slower out here, like she wasn't constantly stressed, she wasn't running into damn brick walls every time she tried to make her dreams come true. She was probably more at peace right now, sitting on the patio, petting a wolf, looking up at the sky and watching the stars than she ever had been back in California.

The oldies music kept playing from the Iphone on the patio table, and Anna limped back inside, coming out a few moments later with what looked like a mixed drink. _'Jesus, Anna.. What did happen to you? I mean you seem happy, but.. all the new habits, the new look. It feels like a cover up or something. Is that what this is, Anna?'_ the russet toned wolf thought to himself as he nuzzled against her, looked up at her.

When she sat the drink down, he took a sniff, and realized that apparently, it was Fruit Juicy Red Hawaiian Punch and it wasn't spiked with anything. This made him feel a little better for the most part, but he still couldn't get past her even being back. She hadn't been back in so long, he'd began to wonder if maybe he shouldn't just live out his life as a wolf, instead of keeping his human form and for a few days now, he'd been attempting to do that very thing. Until Bella found him in the woods, and they talked.

She was staring at the tire swing, almost like she was lost in thought about something. A few short whines had her looking down at him and she said quietly, "Sorry, wolfman .. I was just sort of thinking about things." as she took a sip of her Hawaiian Punch and then said quietly, " Just worried. What if I never dance again? I mean I literally almost died. What if something messed up in my legs during the wreck? That'll be the second plan I've made that I've had to just discard. I've always dreamt of being a dancer. If I can't anymore, I have no idea what the hell I'm gonna do. And then there's stuff I talked about earlier, when Bella was here, making me pick a bridesmaid dress."

She mused thoughtfully, stroking the wolf's fur as she did so, staring at the swingset and tree house in the backyard for a few moments, wishing she could go back in time, fix this before it happened. Maybe then it wouldn't have taken half their lives for her twin and herself to actually be able to have a conversation that didn't involve yelling, anger and doors slamming.

The wolf nuzzled itself against her, raising slightly and licking her face as she sighed and then continued, " Bella kept hinting earlier today.. About this guy I was probably entirely too in love with when I was a kid. I guess that's where this pattern of wanting things I can't ever really have started. If she meddles when he's at the wedding, I'm going to kill her. If he didn't want me then, what the hell makes her even halfway think he's gonna want me now?" Anna mused aloud as she laughed at herself, muttered something about being ridiculous, being a drama queen and then said "Besides, I made myself a promise when I woke up from that short coma. Forward, not backwards. All I really wanna do now is fix things with my family, and heal up, find out if I'll ever be able to dance again. I've given up on everything else a long time ago."

_'You can do that here. Anna, if you'd just **said** something, you could have had me. Just ask your sister. We talked not too long ago, about everything and I admitted why I tried to force myself to believe I imprinted on her. ' _Jacob thought to himself as Anna looked at the time display on her cell phone.

The distant howling of more wolves had Jacob's wolf form retreating, and Anna stood, going inside. Jacob reluctantly started towards the La Push reservation, where he hadn't been in a few days now, he'd been gone, spending nearly all of his time in wolf form, figuring if Anna wasn't coming back, he'd just remain a wolf from that point on out.

When he'd found her tonight, it'd been maybe an hour after he'd finally made himself go back, after having a talk with Bella, Bella assuring him that Anna was back in Forks and maybe if Jacob confronted her, explained how he felt, she'd stay to be with him. She'd given Jacob Anna's old journal, let him read it. That'd been when he pretty much decided that he'd keep his human form, phase as needed.

Phasing back to human, he looked at the other members of his pack and said calmly, "What?"

"So, did you see what we meant, Jacob?" Leah asked as Seth nodded in agreement. Jacob nodded and said quietly, "Yeah. That was way too close." as he dressed in the clothes Seth held out to him and then said "Guessing I should go home. Dad's probably beyond pissed at me, worried sick. He's been okay, right?"

Sam nodded and then said quietly, " Normally, I'd demand you stay away from her, Jacob. But I'm pretty sure you'd fight me on it, given what she just went through, and the fact that you've pretty much spent 6 years apart already."

Jacob nodded and then said calmly, " Yeah. I'd have fought you on it. And even if you did tell me to stay away, Sam, I probably wouldn't. There's a lot of stuff I have to fix." before turning and taking off for his father's house. After he'd sat up for a few hours, telling his father everything, he went to bed, lying there in the dark, trying to figure out just how he was going to get her to realize that she'd been wrong all this time.

"One of us has to fight for this. It might as well be me." he muttered as he finally drifted off to sleep.

Back at Charlie's house, Anna tossed and turned on the couch in the living room, mostly thinking about everything in her life up to this point. Then she thought about what she and Bella talked about earlier and groaning inwardly, she reminded herself, yet again, that she wanted to fix her life more than anything right now.

After all, she'd given up on the first actual dream she had a long time ago. Melodramatic, yes, but she was also looking at the bigger picture when she'd done it. In the back of her mind, she remembered what she told herself when she'd given up on telling Jacob, how she felt about him.

If she still felt that strongly a few years from then, she'd act on it. But now, she was afraid it might be too late.

"Damn it, I have got to be the most overanalytical and annoyingly stubborn, frustrating person I know." she grumbled as she turned off the tv and shoved her head under her pillow, making herself go to sleep.

If she crossed paths with him, she'd be friendly. If anything beyond it happened, it was up to Fate. She just didn't know if she had any real fight left anymore, even though she wanted everything her twin had for herself and if she had to admit it, honestly, she knew she hadn't actually fought or even really tried to make Jacob see how she felt about him, before, because she'd been thinking that everything was and would always be about her twin, Bella.

What if she was wrong?

She growled as she tried again to shut her mind off and just sleep for a few hours. What if she did fight for what she wanted, what she really wanted, this time?


	4. Chapter 4

"Are you sure this is gonna look alright?" Anna asked, brow raised as she sat on the edge of a white Formica counter, while Leah Clearwater stood in front of her with scissors and assessed calmly, "You hate the scar and stitches showing, right?" while looking at her best friend, a hand on her hip.

"Yeah, but.. Cutting bangs into my hair?" Anna asked, her hand going to her long brightly dyed blonde hair. She grimaced as she turned to look in the mirror, biting her black polished nail as she said "Icky. I should touch up my roots."

"Or, Anna, you could stop dying it?" Leah suggested, barely hiding a grin. "Blonde's cute, but.. It's just so weird seeing you with blonde hair." Leah added quickly, as she placed the scissors on the counter, the two females bursting into spontaneous laughter as Leah's mother called up the stairwell, "You two are being entirely too quiet up there, Leah." while standing at the bottom of the stairs, smiling to herself.

Leah called out, "We're fine, Mom!" as she looked at Anna, lifting the scissors from the white Formica vanity counter in the upstairs bathroom again, smirking as she brandished them in front of her best friends face and asking, "So.. Are you ready?"

Anna mulled it over for a split second. It would hide the scar and the stitching until she finally got the stitches out, and she did need something to do, because she'd watched all of the DVD's in the entertainment center at least twice in the 2 weeks she'd been living in Forks again, with her father.

If not for Leah and Seth's visits, the visits of the large russet wolf at night, and her father's practically dragging her out of the house to do things like go and feed ducks at a pond, or eat at the diner downtown, she probably wouldn't get out much. No, it wasn't her cutting herself off from the outside world, either. She just wanted to rest. Life in Forks was peaceful and slow. Life back in California, it seemed like Anna never got a chance to just sit around all day, be lazy. She never really got any personal time to herself there, between work and school and trying to get into that dance troup, Fernwood.

"Let's do this. Think you feel up to driving me to the pharmacy after?" Anna asked as Leah raised a brow and Anna said, "Hair dye, Leah. I'm gonna go back to my natural color. Now that I think about why I even dyed it blonde in the first place, it just feels kind of childish, really."

Leah smiled and then leaned in, tongue jutting out in concentration, as she raised the scissors to her friend's hair. The first pieces hit the white and black floor tiles, and Anna clapped, laughing. Outside the bathroom door, Charlie raised his brow but Sue laughed and shaking her head said "I think we both learned, Charlie, with those two? It's best if you don't ask."

"Right. Good point, sweetheart." Charlie muttered as Seth spoke up from behind them to say, "Leah's cutting bangs in Anna's hair. To hide the stitches, since she hates them and if they're there, she tries to pick at them."

"Ahh." Charlie said as he knocked and then pointed out, "You have to go down and get fitted for your dress, Anna. Bells just called and said that it came in earlier than they thought."

Anna called out through the door, "Alright, dad. Hey, do you have a broom? I don't wanna leave a ton of hair in the floor.." the small white door opened and Charlie held a broom through the crack, then a dust pan as he said "Just don't go crazy, Anna."

"I'm not gonna chop it all off, daddy." Anna promised as she let Leah continue to cut bangs into her hair, then trim it all up. As Leah worked on cutting her best friend's hair, she said casually, "So there's this thing at First Beach tonight.. And I asked Charlie if you could go with me and Seth, since Carlisle gave you a lightweight and waterproof cast. If you want to go?"

Anna mulled it over, shrugged as she said quietly, "Sure. In that case, looks like we're gonna go shopping?"

"Why?"

"Leah, I have no actual clothing with me. Bella and Alice packed me sweats and things that were easy to get into and out of when they packed my stuff that I bought with me for now." Anna explained patiently as Leah raised a brow then said "It's not a big deal, I mean just wear the gray shorts or some cutoffs or something. We're having that heatwave, I mean it's not like it's gonna get cold or something, Anna."

"Leah, I'll look like shit." Anna pointed out as Leah grumbled and then said "You are not ugly. And one time without the makeup, the sexy clothes, Anna, it's not gonna kill you." while looking at her best friend. "Okay, you can turn around now." Leah said finally, letting Anna turn, look at her haircut.

"I freaking love it, Le!" Anna said as she hugged her best friend and then giggling said "C'mon. Let's go get this other stuff over with." as Leah laughed and then said "Makeup?"

"Like you said, Leah. It won't kill me." Anna answered, poking out her tongue as Leah said "That's better." and the two walked out of the bathroom, down the stairs, and past the kitchen with Seth hot on their heels. Charlie peeked out of the kitchen, brow raised, laughing and shaking his head. He wondered for a moment, what it'd have been like to have had both of his daughters living with them when they were in high school. Somehow he got the feeling Anna would have been a nonstop source of amusement and probably the source of all of his gray hairs.

"Well? Let me see your hair?" Charlie asked his daughter as Anna stepped back inside and shook her head as she said quickly, "Can't daddy, not yet. I gotta go.. Now." before giving him a quick peck on the cheek and then quickly walking back out the front door. Charlie stood in the doorway, watching the two girls get into Leah's car with Seth, drive off as he shook his head, laughing. "I wonder what they're up to now?" he mused to himself as he turned and walked into the house, shutting the wooden front door behind him firmly.

Leah, Seth and Anna piled out of the car parked outside the small pale brown stucco pharmacy, laughing as Anna finished telling the joke she'd been telling, and were walking across the small and nearly empty parking lot when the motorcycle pulled to a slow pace, moving along side Anna.

"Umm, do we know him?" Anna asked. Leah of course, knew it was Jacob, Anna, however, didn't. She didn't know he'd actually gotten the motorcycle he always talked about owning one day when they were all kids. So she gave Seth a warning look covertly before answering "Not that I know of, no. I thought you might?"

"Nope. Hey guy? Nice bike." Anna called out boldly as she sped up her walk just a fraction, feeling the weight of the motorcycle driver's stare from beneath the very dark tinted sunglasses he wore to cover his eyes. The motorcycle sped up a little, Seth tried not to snicker, because he was pretty sure what Jacob was up to currently, and he knew that'd been why Leah gave him the silencing glare, right as he'd been about to blurt out Jacob was the one on the bike, earlier.

Anna bit her lower lip as she stopped walking, turned around carefully, one hand on her hip, the other hand in her newly cut shaggy blonde bangs. The motorcycle stopped and Jacob smirked as he said quietly, making his voice come out deeper, somehow slightly different than his normal one, "Thanks, blondie." as he smirked to himself. Yeah, this might be cheesy, but if she really thought about what was happening, she'd know exactly who he was right now.

Of course, it went without saying, Bella would most likely get her ass kicked, because Anna wrote this in her journal, the same journal that Bella may or may not have let fall into his hands.

Anna bit her lower lip for a moment and asked, warily, "Do I know you? Because you kinda look familiar."

"Not that I know of, no." Jacob said, his eyes remaining hidden by the sunglasses, his face remaining hidden by the helmet that covered it. She really couldn't tell if it were him or not. He hadn't been meaning to run into her this way, but he'd been about to go into the pharmacy, pick up some diabetic supplies for his dad, and well, now there they were. _'now what the fuck am I gonna do?' _he found himself wondering as he watched her, noticing that she'd gotten bangs, the one long gash along her forehead was covered up. His eyes went down lower, and then lower, and started to trail slowly back upwards as he said casually, "It's too bad though. I don't think I'd forget someone as pretty as you."

Seth and Leah, by this point, were trying **not** to ruin this whole little moment, and Anna, she smirked a moment, biting her lower lip as she tried to figure out just what was so familiar about this guy who's face she couldn't see, who's voice was one she had this feeling she'd heard somewhere before.

"Oooh, someone's a charmer." she said casually, as she licked her lips a moment and then said "There's a car, coming up behind you, Romeo." giving him a cheeky wink as Leah nudged her, mouthed, "Ooh la la."

Anna shrugged, this whole little bizarre meeting brightening her day, a genuine smile filling her face as she nudged Leah and then said "Let's go get that hair dye. I wonder who the hell that was.." as the three of them resumed their walk while the motorcycle parked just a row over from Leah's car in front of the small stucco building that housed the drugstore they were heading into. "I've heard that voice somewhere before, it's just.. It's different somehow. Weird, huh?" Anna mused aloud as they stepped into the pharmacy, scanning the store aisles for the one that housed the hair dyes and cosmetics.

"Maybe you'll see him again." Leah pointed out as Seth almost said something, but the sharpness of his older sister's elbow against his side had him scowling at the taller female while coughing and trying not to fall over laughing. If Jacob pulled this off, this would make one hell of a story for later on down the road. And he couldn't wait to tell the other guys what Jacob got himself into, doing what he had, on a whim this afternoon.

Jacob swore under his breath as he parked the bike and sat there, thinking about seeing her again just now. Smirking, he pocketed the keys and walked into the pharmacy, right past the aisle that Leah and Anna, Seth all stood on, arguing over what Anna's natural hair color was closest too.

"I'm telling you, Anna, your hair is probably this light ash brown." Leah said as Seth grumbled and spotted Jake, then said "I'm gonna, umm.. I'm gonna go to that Pac Man game. No way in hell do I want one of the guys seeing me, giving me shit for being on the makeup aisle."

"We'll come find you when we're done." Leah called out as Anna held up the box, biting her lower lip. "Maybe I can go a little darker than my natural color?" she suggested as Leah shook her head, shoved a box of light brown hair dye at her as she pointed out, "We'll see how this looks first." and they wove their way down the neighboring aisle that housed most of the left over things the store sold in the summer. They'd just turned a corner, when Anna smacked into an unhelmeted, no shades wearing Jacob Black. She bit her lower lip, looking up at him, the bangs falling into her eye for a moment. "Jacob.. Hi." she finally said after a few intense and quiet, not to mention awkward moments.

"Anna?" he asked, pretending he hadn't just seen her outside in the parking lot, using his 'disguise' to flirt with her a little, cheering her up as a result. "Wow.. You look.."

"Like shit, yeah, I realize that." Anna finished quietly as he shook his head and said "It's hard to picture you with blonde hair, but it's cute. And no, Anna, you don't look like shit." while holding her gaze, leaning against a nearby shelf.

This, of course, made his muscular arms stand out and Anna groaned inwardly. Just how the hell was she supposed to keep the guy out of her life, keep herself from being attracted to him again, falling for him again, when he was so damn enticing to look at and still the same sweet and laid back guy she remembered having such a huge crush on as a kid..

Because she could just sort of tell that he hadn't changed at all. Sure, he'd gotten taller, he'd gotten more muscular, he'd cut off all his hair, but he was still the same guy that she fell for, who to her knowledge, was only aware of her twins existance. Although, the way he was looking at her, right now.. It felt so strange, really. She could remember him looking at Bella like that, the summer she left and stopped coming back.

"So, umm, Anna.. You have to go get fitted." Leah cut through their moment as she tugged on the sleeve of Anna's hoodie. Anna cleared her throat and nodding said quietly, "Right.. damn. I'll see you around or something, Jacob." before letting Leah drag her down the center aisle of the store, and towards a register.

"The less I see him, the better." Anna insisted as she and Leah got back into Leah's car. Seth of course, decided to stay in town and hang out with Jacob, so that left the two of them in the Honda Civic that Leah drove, it gave them time to talk. Leah groaned and asked, "Why though? I mean you two grew up together.. And he was your friend, Anna."

"Yeah, Leah, but there in lies the problem. I wanted more than friendship from him. And he barely acknowledged me. So this time? I'm determined not to cave. I'm gonna make him come to me. I'm not gonna go chasing after him like some little lost puppy. I grew up, I got a little bit more respect for myself than that somewhere along the way." Anna pointed out as Leah rolled her eyes, laughing, shaking her head.

This was going to be an interesting and amusing sight to see then. She pulled them out of the parking lot, and they drove towards the shop the dress had been sent to, and Anna raced inside quickly, to go and let the tailor take her measurements, see if anything needed to be taken out or raised, lowered, or taken in a little. Naturally, since Anna didn't have a decent rack, and the dress was a strapless and vintage one, the tailor was going to have to make adjustments in the chest area. She wrote down when she'd have to come back in and be fitted for it again, and walked out of the dress shop, only to find Jacob standing just outside the doorway, arms crossed.

"Are you following me, Black?"

"Nope. Had to get measured. Stupid tuxedo for your sister's wedding." Jacob said as he asked, "How long are you back in town?"

Anna shrugged as she said simply, "Just going to see how it goes. For now, it's until I'm healed to my parents satisfaction. Because if I didn't, you and I both know they'd run me insane, calling to check in." before adding, " I told her that it wasn't a nice thing to do, inviting you to the wedding after everything she did to you.. I'm sorry."

Jacob shrugged and said quietly, "If what happened really hurt me, it might have pissed me off to get the invite. Since it didn't, doesn't matter. " as he leaned in a little closer, like he wanted to say something before stepping back, turning to walk off. Anna stood there mentally kicking herself.

"What the hell is it about him? No matter what I do, how hard I try, damn it all, he's under my skin." she grumbled to herself as Leah laughed and called out from the waiting car, "Will you come on already?"

"Yeah, I'm coming." Anna said as she got into the passenger seat, fastened her seatbelt, spent the whole drive back to her father's house musing to herself about having seen Jacob again, how her fighting the attraction she still felt, the feeling she still had for him just might be harder than she thought.

And she also wondered why the guy on the motorcycle reminded her so much of Jacob.. She shoved all thoughts Jacob Black related out of her mind, and reminded herself yet again, she was not going back down that road.


	5. Chapter 5

When they pulled into First Beach and parked somewhat close to the bonfire that was blazing, it looked like the cliche college kid party, red Solo cups littering the sand, and in nearly everyone's hand. Anna eyed one longingly and Leah shook her head and said calmly, "Oh no.. Not even. Your medicine. Your dad sent it with me, told me to make sure you took the stuff. So drinking tonight, Anna, is a no no. Besides, don't think we really all wanna see you try and put your shirt over your head again."

"Hey, that night was fun." Anna whined playfully as she gingerly tried to position herself on the trunk of Leah's black Honda, scowling when she didn't have quite the balance to make it and nearly fell over backwards. Arms shot out, grabbing her easily at her waist, sat her on the trunk and she groaned inwardly as she looked into the almost chocolate like eyes of Jacob Black, who was shaking his head in amusement.

"Glad you find my plight funny, Black." Anna muttered as she grabbed a soda from Leah, who'd went off to find the only place on the beach that had non alcoholic beverages and as Leah held out the pills, she mock saluted and said with a joking grin, "Yes mother. I'll be a good girl and take my meds." as she put the pills on her tongue, washed them down quickly.

Jacob palmed the bottle, eyes scanning the perscribed directions on the side as he slid himself up onto the trunk of the car.

Anna scooted away a little and then said quietly, "So.."

"So.."

Leah spoke up and said with a smirk, "You two need to kiss and make up. I'm gonna go make sure Seth's not being a horndog or something. You know what happens if he's around Paul or Jared too long." before taking off practically at a run. The tension, even now, was still so thick between Jacob and Anna, that you could cut the air around them with a knife.

"We do need to talk." Jacob said finally as Anna sighed and shrugged as she stared at the fire, watching the flames leap and dance around in front of her eyes, going back in her mind to what exactly happened that night...

x.X.x

_Bella sat in her room, staring out the window for probably the 8th time that week. The whole thing, in honesty, was beginning to really grate on Anna's last nerve, but when Jacob showed up and Bella came alive, and she had to watch them leaving to go off God only knew where, together, laughing and happy, she'd pretty much had it with the whole thing. Everybody was dropping everything to make sure poor widdle Bella wasn't in any pain._

_Nobody stopped and thought about her pain, what she felt every single damn time she had to watch Jacob with Bella, given the way she'd always felt about him, but never had the guts to tell him. She punched a wall, and flopped back down on the bed opposite Bella's bed, arms behind her head as she said quietly, "I've fucking had it. I can't.. Not anymore. I mean even if he never speaks to me again.."_

_It was probably around 8:30 when they came back, and when Bella went up to her room, Anna slunk out from the kitchen, bowl of cereal and tv remote in hand. She walked past Jacob and flopped onto the couch, purposely not looking at him, because if she did, she'd probably explode. She was that jealous of all the power her sister had in so many people's lives, and she was that sick of her sister's shit as of late._

_As she walked past him, the scent hit him full on, and again, he ignored the pull he felt. He instead leaned against the doorway and crossed his arms, glaring at the tv, where the Rob Zombie remake of Halloween played. Clearing his throat, he asked calmly, firmly, "What the hell is it with you and Bella? She told me what you did earlier?"_

_Anna calmly put her spoon into her cereal, tried to bite her tongue, but it was too late. He'd pushed, now she was about to push him back._

_Turning around, she crossed her bare legs neatly on the sofa as she looked up at him and said calmly, "Good. I'm glad she told you what I said to her. Somebody needs to wake her ass up. Being that hung up on some prick who left her in the woods to fucking die.. It's not normal."_

_"She loved him, Anna. But then again, you'd have to understand the concept of love to get that." Jacob said quietly as he bit his tongue. Naturally, he was still trying to deny his having imprinted on Anna, because he thought she was the twin that hated him, she went out of her way to avoid him for the most part, always had, really.. So he thought that maybe if he tried hard enough, he could force himself to imprint on Bella, the twin that while he didn't want her, honestly, he never really had, at least she acknowledged him._

_Anna stiffened and blinked at the words then began to laugh as she hit pause on the DVD remote, the movie coming to a stop with Michael Myers frozen on it's screen, daunting and intimidating._

_" Fuck you. You don't know me, Jacob. If you did, you'd get why what you just said is probably the stupidest thing you've ever said." Anna grumbled as she looked at him a moment and then added with a malicious smirk, "But hey, like Dad, she's using you. And you're letting her. Don't you see it? You're just a fill in to her. You could be someone else's first priority, but noooo.. When Bella's neurotic ass calls, you come a runnin. And you talk to me about my problems? Handle yours first, Black, and then we'll talk." Anna said in an even tone as she looked at him, still reeling from the very truthful yet very painful thing he'd said to her.  
_

_Jacob glared at her. Okay, so in hindsight, he knew what she was saying was essentially true. And arguing like this, with his imprint was taking it's toll on him for the moment. He'd only barely learned how to keep himself from wolfing out and it was bad enough that he was putting Bella at risk coming around her, but he'd kill himself if he phased in anger and attacked Anna._

_He should have left, but instead, he counted down from 10 to 1, a trick he'd started to use since the incident with Mike at the theater a week or two ago, when he saw Mike trying to grab Anna's ass after she'd specifically told her not to touch him, ever..._

_Then he said calmly, "She's your sister and she needs you and all you can do is repeatedly hurt her by yelling things at her like grow the fuck up? Or tell her that love isn't real, that if it were, he'd still be here? That's not how you help someone, Anna."_

_"Yeah? Well it's about the only help I'd get if I were in her boat, so.." Anna stated calmly as she added, "If Bella needs us, we're all just supposed to drop everything and make sure she's not hurting or she's okay. When has anyone ever given two shits about what happens to me?" before falling silent, trying her best to keep the other half of what she wanted to say to him from coming out.  
_

_Because she wasn't about to tell him in the heat of an argument that she'd been quietly in love with him since they were 12 and it killed her every single time he picked her sister over her in anything. Because that would be petty and selfish, that'd be the jealous bitch move._

_And on a deeper level, she knew that yes, she was jealous. At least her twin had the guts to love someone. _

_And now, just like Anna figured would happen, Bella was paying the price for it. And so was everyone else, because she had the entire family up in arms. The last time she'd had a fight with a boyfriend and called her mom? Her mom told her that there were other fish in the sea and that she still had her father, and herself that loved Anna.  
_

_ Anna couldn't even talk to Jacob without her throat closing up on her and her entire nervous system breaking down, her brain screaming at her over and over that everything she'd been shown about love, witnessing her parent's divorce and what it did to her dad after, how she never got to see him unless it was a holiday, or during the summer for a month, and now that she had a crush on Jacob, now that she knew just how much she loved him and how much it scared her, and how much he'd rather be with her twin than ever give her a second look, well.._

_Anna couldn't tell Jacob how she felt, because she didn't wanna be wrong, or worse, she didn't want to get hurt when Bella 'needed' him or something. She hadn't ever allowed herself to admit she loved him, or feel it, even. She did her best to try and avoid having to see him with Bella. _

_Because everything she knew about the kind of love she felt, thanks to her parents divorcing and it's effect on Charlie, on their family, and now, the way that kind of love affected her twin. If it hurt that bad, she wasn't about to let her guard down._

_It was fucked up, but it was the way she felt. She was immensely afraid of falling in love and the sick part of it was, that she already had. With Jacob. Who, to her knowledge, would rather die than spend any kind of time with her. Because as much as she didn't try, he damn sure didn't either._

_"Maybe if you weren't in California, avoiding your entire family, Anna." Jacob pointed out as he pondered over her odd silence, the possible hidden meaning in what she'd just said to him. Anna sighed as she twisted a strand of hair around her fingertip and then said quietly, "I'm not avoiding them, Jacob, I just figured that Dad might not want both of us here. Besides, it's not like it matters. I come here and all I get to hear about is how she's so 'depressed' and all that. Then I get accused of not giving a shit, and being cold, heartless when I try and point out to her that maybe the reason he left her is because she put him on this impossible pedestal and he got sick of it, wanted down."_

_Jacob rolled his eyes and then said quietly, "Well, it really doesn't seem like you give a shit, and it really does seem like you're heartless. I mean from where I stand. "_

_Anna glared at him and said calmly, " Fuck it. I'm done trying to explain myself to you. I am what I am, you think what you want. I give a shit alright. If that prick were here, right now, I'd punch his fucking face in. He just.. He could have done it totally different. But I kind of get why he did it that way. A clean break. But breaks aren't ever clean."  
_

_Jacob raised a brow and let her wrist go then let her walk past but not after he said calmly, "At least she can feel. If he left you, you'd probably have laughed it off."_

_She bit her lower lip and shoved him softly as she said quietly, "Get the fuck out. Just go ahead, keep wasting yourself on someone who's made it plain she doesn't and will never love you like you obviously want her too. There are other girls, Jacob. But hey, this isn't my problem. I'm just a cold heartless bitch who doesn't know what love is."_

_" I didn't.." he started, only to have her roll her eyes and say quietly, "I'm done with it. Think whatever you want about me. Nevermind that it's totally wrong and you barely know me enough to go judging me. But when she finds someone else or this prick comes back and she drops you? Don't say I didn't warn you. Because nobody's perfect and my supposed saint of a sister has her flaws too. You just won't see them. Just like you don't see a lot of other things."_

_"I'm sorry." he tried to say as she ran up the stairs. He walked outside, punching the wall on the exterior of the house and took a few deep breaths while simultaneously wondering what she'd been trying to say, what meaning was hidden in her words. He knew her well enough to tell that everything she said had some kind of underlying message in it because Anna wasn't a person who liked talking about her feelings._

x.X.x

"Are you alright?" Jacob asked in concern as he scooted a little closer, Anna scooted a little farther away as she answered, "I'm fine, okay?" while still staring at the fire, every true thing he'd said to her that night echoing around in her mind.

"No, you're not." he insisted as he sighed and then said quietly, "That last time you visited, when I said all that stuff.. I shouldn't have said it and I'm sorry."

"You were just telling the truth." Anna muttered as she sighed and took a sip of her soda, then said "We're okay, if that's what you're worried about. I promised myself when I came outta that coma I was going to try and fix all my screwups. That happened to be one on my list." before leaning back, looking up at the sky, finding constellations while Jacob found himself lost in thought.. But his thoughts weren't on the night they had that fight and she basically left for 6 years.

His thoughts were on what he'd read in the journal that Bella gave him, of hers, when she'd come back from California, having went to see about her sister right after the wreck. The things she'd written in the journal but yet couldn't tell him for some reason.

Had she just told him how she felt maybe he could have proven her rather messed up view on love and what it did to a person wrong. The complete and total raw honesty in the other things she'd written over the time period she'd been keeping the journal he had also had him shocked. Why couldn't she just come out and tell him how she felt about him, that night, when he'd said all the stuff he had?

According to what Bella said, the counsellor that Renee dragged them all to before they all left California after Anna's wreck and almost death, Anna just sort of shut down after figuring out at a young age that the divorce was the reason she didn't have both of her parents together and there with her and didn't really express how angry she felt about it. Bella on the other hand, had.

x.X.x

_' I love him so much it's like I can't breathe, I can't think straight. The room falls away when he walks in and when he smiles, it's almost like my whole world gets brighter. I think about him all the time, and it's driving me insane. I don't want to feel this way. I don't want to be wrong and wreck his life like Mom did to dad, or have him use it against me somehow then just drop me, like that asshole Cullen did to my twin sister._

_Love equals pain, doesn't it? I mean Disney makes a killing off of feeding little girls those bullshit happy endings. Because they rarely ever happen. _

_I watch him with her, and I am reminded why I love him so much. Even when she's toying with him, he's loyal, he never treats her like some kind of possession and he doesn't try to do anything but make her happy again. I want that. I want that with him, though. But I don't have the guts to fight for what I want, I'm scared absolutely shitless of letting go and laying it all out there, exposing myself to someone like that._

_I just.. I can't. I'm not good enough. I'd never be able to make him happy, I don't think. He barely notices me, so what does it matter? It just hurts so much, watching him with her. So I leave. And even when I leave, I'm constantly thinking about him, wondering why I can't just speak up. This is a hell of my own creation._

_I'm 18 fucking years old, for Christ's sakes. I have no business feeling this strongly about someone, I'm too young. But he's a good guy. He deserves someone to feel that way about him? Why can't Bella just wake up and see it? Or why can't he just wake up and see that she's toying with him, she only sees him as a brother, or a substitute for that other guy, the one who left her?_

_Edward came back today. And Bella's going to string both of them along now, I suppose. I won't stay here and watch that shit. I'm going back to Grams. I already called and Dad said he'd take me to the airport before work tomorrow. I can't stand by and watch him get tossed away like garbage, especially knowing that for one thing, he'd never want me like he does her, and another, i'd never have the guts to speak up._

_I've made up my mind. I'm gonna stay in Cali. If I still feel this way in a few years, maybe I'll act on it. I just know that 18's too young, I have to at least try to make my way in life. I don't want anything in my way when I do speak up and decide to act on what I feel for him, if it's still there._

_If it's not, I'll chalk it up to a first love/childhood crush thing._

_College is a bitch. I mean it. I've got courses out the ass, I'm in the rehearsal studio almost night and day, when I'm not working. Went out drinking for my birthday tonight with some friends who are also trying to get into Fernwood. Saw a guy with long black hair and the first thing I thought of was Jacob._

_3 times I've tried out for Fernwood, only to have the door slammed shut in my fucking face. I know I'm good enough, but everything's against me and it pisses me off. This is my backup plan, my secondary dream. I'm busting my ass and I've got nothing to show for it._

_The next tryout's in a month and I'm going to live in that fucking studio if that's what it takes. I have to make this happen, because I'm still too damn scared to go home, live with Dad, and try for what I still want. I know I said I'd fight for him, but I'm just too scared. And anyway, it's probably too late now. Part of me wants to think he's happy, that he's found a girl who loves him and he's not still being Bella's backup guy._

_But the other part of me keeps insisting that I need to say or do something before too much time goes by. I'm going to do this last audition at Fernwood, and if I don't make it, I'll go home. The least I can do is try to fix things with my family, and try to be a better sister._

_So I went to this wrestling show and met a guy named Adam. He's Straightedge, and he's a really nice guy. We've went on a few dates, but I'm just not feeling that spark. I mean I'm not hoping for a damn sky full of fireworks when he kisses me, but I feel nothing. Okay, that's not entirely true. I feel guilty, because with me even dating Adam, is the equivalent of me doing what Bella did to Jacob. _

_Does it make me a bad person to try and force myself to like a guy that I know I won't ever love? I just.. I can't keep closing myself off. I have to try and live my life. This love or obsession or whatever.. It was a childhood crush that I never acted on. That's gotta be it. There's no way you know when you've found 'the one' if there is such a thing, when you're barely a teenager._

_Guess who aced her final in psychology, if the above theory wasn't obvious? Apparently, my backwards working mind comes in handy in that course. Maybe I should become a psychologist.. Nah, it'd never be a good thing. I'm too straightforward when people annoy me. I have no 'bedside manner'. I'd tell them the same things I told my sister and anyone else who's ever pissed me off, all while being this incredibly fucked up mess with no room to judge anyone._

_It's a good thing nobody reads my journals. They'd think I was some kind of raging bitch or something. Or that I have several issues and need therapy myself. Which I readily admit, I do. I'm far from perfect. I actually disgust myself most of the time with the things I feel and think._

_Got Bella's wedding invite via message on my voicemail today. She's getting married.. To the guy who left her in the woods to fucking die. Naturally, that set off my own what ifs and now I'm about halfway into a bottle of red wine, and sitting in my living room, reading over that stupid wedding I had planned when I was 12, for me and Jacob. The tryout for Fernwood is tomorrow and I haven't slept in almost 12 hours trying to practice for it. But deep down, I just don't feel it. I'm just tired._

_I've started coming up with a 3rd backup plan.. I can move back to Forks, get a job at the fitness center teaching dance classes to little girls or something. Just being close to him again.. Even if I never tell him how I feel. I disgust myself at this point, I'm such a fucking chicken, I can't just say those three little words. I can't just blurt it out and see what happens because I'm so scared that when I fall, nobody's going to be there to catch me. Adam, this independent wrestler I was dating for a while broke it off with me. Told me I wasn't 'available' that he wasn't going to share me with someone he'd never compare to._

_God I feel like the heartless bitch I'm really turning into. Now I see how Jacob probably felt all those times my sis friendzoned him. I'm putting off calling her back and telling her I'll go and that I might come early, because I really want to fix this, all of it, with her, with mom and dad. I at least want closure on that level. I've basically realized that I probably screw up my own life on a daily basis. I mean just because people always lumped my twin and I together, it sort of played us off of each other, I think._

_Either way, the older I get, the more I realize how fucking stupid it is and how short life is. _

x.X.x

Anna snapped her fingers in Jacob's face and said casually, "You zoned, Black." as she looked at him and wondered what he'd been thinking about just now. He rake his hand over his buzz cut and she remarked, "I liked it better long."

He managed a smile and then said "I'm glad you're brunette again and not blonde. And the haircut looks good." He didn't say what he was thinking inwardly, that it made her look softer now, more vulnerable, and yeah, sexier. For now, that could go unvoiced.

"Hey! Blondes are okay." Anna said as she managed a smile and took a long sip of her soda as she said quietly, "So.. How'd your fitting go? The tailor basically told me that unless I got breast implants or something, I'd have to have the entire chest area of my dress 'fitted'. " snickering a little.

"The guy that measure me said that he didn't see how I fit my arms in normal t shirts, let alone a tuxedo jacket. He was one of those smug bastards though." Jacob mused as he sipped on the soda sitting by him and said quietly, "About that night. I really am sorry."

"Jacob, damn it, I told you, it's fine. I was being a bitch, you called me on it. I mean yeah, I meant what I said, but I shouldn't have just rained down on her like that." Anna admitted as Jacob shrugged and said "I still shouldn't have said all the stuff I did that night."

"Me either." Anna said as Jacob asked, "So.. Did you leave anyone behind in California?"

"You have to be kidding. I worked, I was always in the dance studio and I had classes, so no, Black, I did not. I dated a guy for a while, but he told me that I'd never be 'available'. I just let him get the hell out. I don't like lying to people and he was right.. Didn't really love the guy. Besides, he was kind of an asshole." Anna admitted adding to herself mentally _'Of course, the deck was stacked against the poor guy from the beginning, because there's nobody like you,Jake',_ as Jacob smirked to himself while he looked down at his hands and she wasn't looking.

"What about you?" Anna asked, crossing her fingers as she slid her hand under her bare leg.

"Right.. I'm working at some garage now, and then there's the other stuff I have to do and I spend a lot of time with my dad... So no, Anna, nobody for me."

_'Except you, little bit.' _he added to himself as he sipped his soda, watched her sort of smirk and then say quietly, "Oh."

The sudden appearance of Leah, who was arguing with Seth about getting into a fight with some other guy from Forks High had them both clearing their throats and sitting back, laughing as Jacob found a kleenex and muttered, "Seriously, Seth? You couldn't just lay him out?"

Seth glared, held up his middle finger as Anna groaned inwardly, having spotted Mike Newton. "Damn it. Okay, seriously, someone hide me. There's not enough pain medication in that bottle to even make me halfway not be annoyed by him."

Jacob slid over and smirking, slid his arm around Anna. Mike quickly found someone nearby to talk to, glaring at Jacob as he did so.

"And now, you owe me one." Jacob announced as Anna snickered then said "Yeah, I suppose I do." while twisting a strand of her newly dyed light brown hair around her fingertips, biting her lower lip. Maybe if they took this slow, tried being friends first...

She mentally kicked herself. Maybe she could finally fight for what she really wanted. She had, after all, promised herself that the 4th time to be rejected from Fernwood was going to be taken as a sign by her, and she was going to move on, find another path, another way to still be a dancer, do what she enjoyed doing while fixing her severly messed up relationships with her family and at least being closer to Jacob whom she'd never gotten over.

And she didn't live through that wreck for nothing, right?


	6. Chapter 6

She sat in a sterile white waiting room, twiddling her thumbs as she wondered what the doctor would tell her about her injuries, wondering if she'd lose the thing she was passionate about altogether. She already had a bad feeling that the damage done during the wreck was so extensive that she'd never be able to dance competitively. Her dream career was probably over before it really began. The thought had her bitter, but she did her best to hide it.

"What's taking them so long?" Anna asked quietly as her father shrugged and answered, "I don't know. I figured when they took all the casts off, and then took the stitches out, Anna, we'd be able to hit the road." a little concerned himself. Knowing his daughter Bella's future father in law was working today, he made his way down, and to the office of Carlisle Cullen, knocking quietly. Carlisle opened the door and let Charlie into the bright and tastefully and masculinely decorated office as he nodded to a dark mahogany chair with velvet fabric upholstery.

Charlie sat down and asked, " I just wanted to know what was taking so long, Anna's up there getting more worried by the minute." as Carlisle said quietly, "They're going over her x rays now, actually. She's not going to be able to dance professionally, I can already tell you that much. Apparently, when the doctors did the emergency surgery she needed in California, at that hospital, they had to put a small pin inside her ankle."

Charlie sighed quietly and shook his head as he said quietly, "I had a feeling that'd be what they told her. She's spent all this time working her ass off for it, now she'll never get to see the hard work pay off." Carlisle nodded and said quietly, "She'll probably take hearing it hard."

"I won't blame her, either. I went to some of her recitals, she never actually saw me, but I went. She could have been good."

"She can still dance, Charlie. Just not the way she was before. One wrong step and she could break her leg. " Carlisle said quietly as Charlie nodded, stood. "Want me to come up with you, Charlie?"

"It's okay, I have a feeling she's just going to want it to be the two of us." Charlie said as Carlisle nodded and then handed him a card, it had the name of a counselor on it. "Just in case."

"Thanks. But I'm hoping she'll adjust. She seems to think already that something's wrong." Charlie said as he pocketed the card and thanked Dr. Cullen one more time before walking out of the office and back down to the sterile and offwhite, and rather uncomfortable lobby.

Anna looked up and with one good look at her father's face, she knew what he was about to say, she knew it was over.

She leaned her head back against an offwhite stucco wall and sighed as she tried not to cry. She thought she'd prepared herself for this the past few weeks she'd been back here with her father, in Forks, but when she realized that she'd essentially just lost any and all chances to try again for her life long dream in the capacity she wanted to, it hit her like a ton of bricks.

"You can still dance, Anna. You just can't do the heavy competitions." her father tried to comfort her as she leaned against him. The tears started to flow before she could stop them. Stepping back and drying her eyes, she asked, "Did he.. Did he say anything else?"

"Like what?"

She bit her lower lip as she raked her hand through her bangs and asked, quietly, " About therapy. For my legs. I mean what if I did that?"

" You could try.. We'll ask about it." Charlie promised as Anna sighed then shook her head and said quietly, "Nevermind. I think.. I think I know what I want to do."

He raised a brow then she said, " I'll teach a few classes at the gym." as she nodded to herself. That meant she'd be here for good. Somehow, she just had this feeling that all of this was happening to her for a much bigger reason than she realized.

And if she were completely honest with herself, she'd been looking for any excuse to leave California for probably over a year now. If she didn't have what it took to make Fernwood after 4 years almost of trying, then why keep beating her head against the wall?

Especially when she'd come so far in straightening things out with her family like she had lately. She just felt more at peace here, less stressed.

"Wait, you mean as in the gym here?" Charlie asked, smiling a little, blinking, definitely shocked. She seemed to be handling it better than he' thought she'd take it, this worried him to be honest. She'd always been determined and stubborn, she'd always pursued things she wanted relentlessly.

"Yes, dad, the gym here. I was actually getting tired of California at the end of it anyway." Anna said quietly as they walked through the metal and glass double doors and out into the dull gray day, towards his car. Bella and Edward's Volvo was parked nearby, Bella stood at the car waiting as she asked, "Well?"

"So I won't ever be a prima ballerina. But I will be a dance teacher. I'm thinking of going to college for something else too, maybe nursing.. I don't really know yet." Anna said quietly as Bella hugged her and said " I know how hard you worked for it. I'm sorry."

Anna nodded then said quietly, "Just wasn't what I was supposed to do in life, I guess." as she bit her lower lip then clearing her throat suggested, "Hey dad, if you want to cheer me up.. I could really use some of that peach cobbler from the diner."

"Done. I felt like celebrating anyway, you're finally going to move here. I hated the idea of you living all the way out there, for the very reason that if something happened to you, nobody would know until it was too late. Bella?"

"Duh, dad.. I want blueberry cobbler. Besides, Edward's meeting with some real estate agent that Esme recommended to him, about a house.. So I thought we could all do something together for lunch. I mean if Anna feels like it?" Bella asked, looking at her twin who was biting her lower lip, texting Leah back most likely.

"Yeah. Not like any of us are gonna find anything else to do. We can go be bored together. It'll keep my mind off of finally hearing what I figured I'd hear when I went to get the cast and the stitches taken out and off." Anna said as she read the text Leah sent her, asking if the doctors told her anything yet. She sighed as she replied with what the doctors told her, and what her father confirmed after talking to Carlisle. She added quickly, "Going 2 move 2 Forks though. Hated Cali."

Then she slid her phone shut and slid it into her pocket before feeling it vibrate again, this time a text from Seth that read , "Em baked u cookies. To cheer u up."

"Tell her thanks, but I will b fine. Just rethinking my life goals, really." Anna answered, putting the phone away again as she slightly smiled to herself. Maybe this wasn't the end of the world. Yeah, it hurt like hell, yeah, she wanted to crawl in bed and just not get out for a few days.

But she stopped to think about it, and she'd lived through a nearly fatal wreck. Not to mention, she was still able to walk. Personally, she could take the loss, maybe learn from it, if that's what was supposed to happen now. She realized just how much she'd been using her 'dream' as a crutch to stay away from her family, their problems now, and since they'd started to fix those problems, the not being able to be a professional dancer didn't bother her as much as she thought it would when she'd initially woken up from the week long coma.

The cell phone buzzed in her purse again and she slid it out, raising a brow, wondering how Jacob had her number. She turned to Bella, giving her twin a 'Told you NOT to meddle' dirty look as she read the screen.

"U still owe me.. Do u feel up for a drive later?"

"If u r driving then yes." she texted back. He was trying to be a friend, she wasn't going to turn that down. If that was all they'd ever be, which is honestly what she thought currently, she wasn't too sure, really, how he felt about her.. She'd take it and deal.

After all, she'd told herself she wasn't going to force him into liking her, nor was she going to force herself on him.

Jacob smiled as he read the phone while leaned against the brick wall of the auto shop he helped out at for a part time job and texted back, "How did the thing with the doctors go?" as he bit his lower lip in concern. If they told her she couldn't dance anymore..

His phone buzzed in his hand and he raked his hand over his hair as he unlocked the screen, frowning. They had told her she couldn't dance competitively anymore.

"Damn it. Dancing meant more to her than anything else." he muttered quietly as he texted back, "I'm sorry. I know how important dancing was."

Anna read the cell phone as she sat in the passenger seat of her father's car and then texted back, "I always have a backup plan, Black. Gonna move to Forks and try 2 find work in a studio here, go 2 college or something." as she raked her hands through her hair, stared out the passenger window at the buildings that went by. Her father turned down the radio a little and asked quietly, "Are you really alright with it? I saw a few of the rehearsals.. You were the best one in the lot."

Anna blinked then asked, "Wh.. How?"

"I came out to see a few. I couldn't stay because of work, but I got to see you. I could tell how happy it made you." Charlie admitted as Anna said quietly, "I didn't know.. " feeling really bad for just how alienated she'd let herself become from her family suddenly, because of her dreams and ambitions, because of the communication problems they laughed a little and then said quietly, " I wasn't cut out for California. It was too fake there, I didn't really fit in, I don't think. Besides, I really hated that I was there and you guys were here and in Phoenix."

"So basically, you were miserable, but you stayed because that's where Fernwood was.. Right?"

"Yeah, pretty much. I didn't even like the one guy I went out with there."

"The semi pro wrestler you were telling me and your mother about in the therapy session?"

"Mhmm." Anna said as she read the text that Jacob sent back to her and then texted back, " That was probably the whole problem. It was 2 important. So yeah, I'll be okay. Important thing is I'm still alive. I coulda died." as she looked out the window for a few minutes until her father turned into the parking lot of the diner, parking next to the car Bella drove.

They found a back booth in the noisy midday rush of the diner, and while her father was gone to get a menu or something, Anna poked Bella and scowled.

"What?"

"You gave Jacob my number, damn it, that's what. I told you don't butt in." Anna said calmly as she added, "If anything happens, it happens on it's own."

"Nothing will if you don't try, sis." Bella said as she licked ketchup off of her finger making Anna gag as she said "You still do that? Ughh."

"So? You eat mustard on crackers." Bella stated as they laughed a little and then Anna admitted, "I'm actually considering at least trying to be his friend this time around. I mean it's not my ideal situation.. But hey, it's something."

"Maybe it'll lead to more."

"Sis, damn it."

"What? I can't want you to be happy too?" Bella asked as Anna raked her hand through her bangs and said quietly, "I'm trying to fix all the crap that's wrong with me first, get settled in here first."

"So do it.. But you don't have to just not be happy while doing it." Bella said as their father came back, sat down. The rest of the meal was mostly small talk, Anna expressing how happy she was that she wouldn't look like Frankenstein in the wedding photos.

But at least they were talking more now. That was the important thing. As far as Jacob, she'd be his friend. For now, she was wary of getting involved, she still had a lot of her old hangups. Those would take time to get over.


	7. Chapter 7

She'd just carefully, yet haphazardly flopped onto the couch in her father's den, bowl of cereal in hand, the television remote in her hand, fully intentioned to watch the wrestling program she'd gotten into while dating the semi pro wrestler in California, when the sound of a motorcycle idling and then parking outside the house had her raising a brow.

She got up and tiptoed to the bay window in the den, peeking out through the plaid curtains, muttering to herself a little when she saw Jacob getting off of said motorcycle. She raked her hands through her hair slowly and then remembered that she'd said she'd go for a ride with him later. But so many times before, he'd said one thing, the complete opposite tended to happen, so she'd figured it'd be best not to go getting her hopes up or something. And now, standing in the den, in her pajamas and a tanktop at 5:30 in the afternoon, with her hair a mess, she was mentally kicking herself.

"I cannot believe I forgot.. Or that he showed up." she muttered in wonder before her baser instincts kicked in and she nearly tripped up the stairs in her hurry up to the bedroom she'd completely taken over and made her own now, digging around frantically for something, hell anything really, that was passable to wear. She'd just gotten finished pulling the sundress on and into place, grabbed her denim jacket and shoved her feet into a pair of brown pull on boots, was in the process of slicking on lipgloss when her father called up the stairs, "You've got a visitor, Anna."

"Coming, daddy." Anna called back, looking at herself one last time. "It'll do. It's not like this is a date or something, it's probably just his way of trying to cheer me up, everybody's apparently heard the verdict the doctor gave me by now." she reminded herself in the mirror, before flipping the light switch turning the lights off in the bedroom, walking down the stairs.

Jacob leaned in the doorway, laughing with her father at the wrestling show she'd left it on, her father musing aloud, "I have no idea how the tv wound up on this. It's funny though." while Jacob winced as a giant sized man picked up another one and slammed him through a table.

Anna paused in the doorway as she yelped, "Hey you put Sheamus down you giant ass!" drawing stares from both males in the room as she shrugged and said "What? I can't watch wrestling?"

"It's just not something you'd picture when somebody thinks of you, Anna." Charlie admitted, grinning as he said "You're leaving?"

"I kinda promised Jacob I'd go for a ride with him later.. If that's okay?" Anna asked as Charlie smiled then waved her off as he said "Thank you. She was hogging my television. I've watched more Dallas reruns this week than I've ever cared to see in the first place."

Outside the house, Anna looked from the bike, to Jacob, then back again before lightly punching his arm as she said "So that was you outside the pharmacy."

"I never said it wasn't." Jacob said as he hid a grin and got onto the bike, helping her on behind him. He groaned as her scent filled his nose and urges started to surface. But instead of letting them get the best of him, he reminded himself he had to be slow about things this time and asked, "So, are you really okay? I mean I know how important dancing professionally was."

"I'll be fine, I think. I mean yeah, it sucks.. But if I really want to admit it, I shoulda known I'd never make it, when I hit tryout number 4 for Fernwood." Anna said as she felt his body tense a little when her arms went around him to hang on.

She pulled back, or was about to but he said quietly, "Not a good idea. This thing flies. You should probably hold on." as he looked over his shoulder at her. She gave a quiet nod and then asked over the roar of the bike as it came to life, "Where are you taking me?"

"Anywhere you want to go." Jacob said as he felt her moving forward a little closer, she had to, the speed of the bike thrust her forward. Her head sort of awkwardly rested against his shoulderblade, it was driving him crazy but he reminded himself again, he made it 6 years by now, he could do this right and wait longer if he had to, though he didn't honestly plan to make it easy for her to fight him off either.

"Hmmm.. There is this place.." Anna admitted as he raised a brow and she shrugged, mysteriously, pointed him in the direction. Her finger brushed his neck, his body tensed again involuntarily, and the bike picking up speed had her being forced to move closer.

They came to a stop at a field on the side of a rocky cliff next to the water that surrounded First Beach, which sat below it. He turned and looked at her, she shrugged and said simply, "An amazing view of the stars at night, Black. I haven't actually been able to see the damn stars while living in California. Smoggy nights, remember?"

"Yeah. I guess that'd be a huge inhibiting factor." Jacob laughed as he thought back to a night he'd been down on First Beach with the guys and this prompted him to ask her, "How often did you come out here?"

"Quite a bit, actually." Anna said as she added, "Enough to know that you guys gave anybody on road coming by who might stop an eyeful."

"So that's where all the clothes went."

"Mhmm.. Me and a friend of mine named Kasey took 'em and threw 'em in the sand. It was so funny because you guys were so freaking pissed and you had no idea anybody was even around." Anna said though she mentally reminded herself that she actually had taken his gray muscle shirt, and she slept in it every now and then.

"That was so not funny." Jacob said as he gave her a pretend pout, then laughed. She shrugged and said "Hey, you guys were the ones asking for it. Besides, you guys did it to us when we were down in the water one night. And do not say you didn't, because Kasey AND Alyssa both saw Quil stumbling back through the bushes while Paul waved Alyssa's bra like a flag.. So yeah, you guys suck at stealth." with her hand on her hip as she got off the bike, started partially down the cliff, sending him jogging after her, flopping down onto the grass. She rolled over onto her back lazily, looking up at the sky, watching the moon.

He sat, arms over his knees, leaned back partially, looking at her, just watching her as she watched the stars. They were both quiet, but for once the silence wasn't stoic or angry or awkward. It was just quiet.

She laughed a little and he looked at her, she shrugged and said "This whole thing, finding out I can't dance anymore. It's not bothering me like I thought it would. And it's nice to be back here. California moves too fast. It's kinda scary." while biting her lower lip.

He nodded and said quietly, "Yeah, I'd probably agree if I ever went there. So are you going back?"

"Nah. I'm gonna let my rental contract lapse, I only had a month left anyway, so it won't hurt anything. I'll have to get my stuff sent here, find somewhere to put it up for storage, don't know yet. I mean I was going back, but the longer I stay, the harder it is to leave, the less I actually wanna leave." Anna said as she took a few deep breaths and then added quickly, " Probably get an apartment or something so Dad doesn't get sick of me." while twisting a strand of her hair around her finger tips, looking up at the sky which was rapidly darkening and filling up with stars.

"I'm glad you're not going back. I, umm, I missed you." Jacob admitted quietly as she looked over at him for a moment, almost as if the announcement shocked her or something. She smiled a little and said quietly, "Thanks." not reading any more into it than his being a friend, his thinking that she needed him right now or something.

"So, you finally got the bike you wanted. I mean that's great. I had a Mustang." Anna admitted as she leaned back a little, looking over at him, smiling as she added, "It suits you, actually." with a slight laugh, embarassed at her stunning and sudden lack of conversation.

Then again, she'd always been this way around him. Her stomach growling had Jacob snickering and asking, "Hungry?"

"A little bit, yeah."

He stood, held his hand out and pulled her up. "So, my dad's been wondering how you were.. And Rachel was already feeding Paul tonight.. Do you wanna maybe come over and let everybody see you're alright?" Jacob asked as they got back on the bike.

She nodded and said with a slight grin, "Yeah, I'd like that." as the bike roared to life again, taking off fast, again catapulting her body against his making him tense slightly. She tried keeping her distance, she was picking up on his tensing up, thinking of course that he thought she was coming on too strong or something when in truth she wasn't even making a move, she just affected him in a very strong way, emotionally, mentally and physically now.

They turned into the dirt and gravel driveway that lead to his house and he helped her off of the sleek black bike, the door to the house being thrown open as Rachel, her other best friend from childhood ran out, squeezing her until she almost couldn't breathe as she looked her over and asked, " So, what'd the doctors say?"

"I won't ever be able to dance professionally. I sort of assumed that already. Wow, Rachel, you look amazing.." Anna said as Rachel shook her head and said "I can't believe you're grown up now. It makes me feel way too old."

Paul spoke up from behind Rachel on the porch as he said quietly, " Long time no see, Malibu." before hugging her a little. Jacob glared and growled as Paul mouthed, "She's my friend too, idiot." stepping back to look at her, asking, "So, what the hell happened? I mean 2 people told me one thing, then Seth and Leah told me what you said."

"All I remember is waking up in the ICU a week later, to be honest. I know I wasn't going but maybe 25 or 30 tops, so whoever crashed into me had to be hauling ass, literally." Anna admitted as she sighed and then heard Billy booming from the inside of the house, "Did my other child FINALLY come to see me?" while rolling his wheelchair to the door.

Jacob shot his father a warning look. They'd all discussed this, Jacob was going to work his way around to telling Anna everything, so he got the double meaning of his father's little nickname for Anna just now.. But then again, Anna spent so many nights over at their house with Rachel and Rebecca, he'd probably just been referring to that and Jacob was just being jumpy.

Anna bent to hug Billy as she said "About that, sir, I'm sorry. Haven't been doing much since I got out of ICU." she admitted as she sniffed the air and said "Ahh, food." smiling as Rachel practically dragged her into the house and then into her room, shutting the door.

"Let me see 'em."

"See what?"

"You went city girl on us all, I know you have a tattoo." Rachel giggled as she added, "I'm just being selfish. I haven't seen you in so long."

"So, you and Paul, huh?" Anna asked as Rachel smiled brightly and then said "I know, he's a know it all smartass sometimes, but hey.. He's my know it all smartass. Please tell me you're gonna finally do something about your thing with my little brother?"

Anna groaned as she bit her lower lip then sighing said " I'm trying to get myself together."

"Bullcrap." Rachel said as she hugged Anna then said "You're staying though, right? Because you have no idea how much I missed you, short stuff."

"Yeah, I'm staying. I gotta try and find a job next week. I mean I'm not temporarily invalid, so I need to pitch in with my dad." Anna said as Jacob knocked on the door asked, "Are you two gonna come out, or?"

"In a minute, Jacob."

She looked at Rachel and said with a smirk, "To answer your question, Rach.. I have 2 tattoos. But they're well hidden. I mean really, really well hidden. As in Dad hasn't even seen them, because if he did, he'd probably kick my ass." before the two girls walked out and into the kitchen.

She sat down in the only chair left, next to Jacob, of course, at the small wooden dining table, and after a few minutes of silently shoveling in her food, Billy asked, "So.. You didn't run off and get married on me, right?"

She choked on her tea and then laughing said "No sir. I didn't really have time to get out much. Work, dance and school." before taking another sip of drink and then asking, "Any ladies in your life?" with a teasing grin as she looked at him. He laughed and then said casually, "Been on a few dates here and there." as he took a few bites of his food, watching his son with his best friend's daughter, amused.

They'd fix things eventually, he sort of knew the plan his son had in mind, and if Anna resisted it, she had to have a lot more restraint than anyone Jacob probably knew. They'd just finished eating and Jacob and Anna wandered out onto the porch, sitting on the swing, talking about stuff they did as kids that was probably stupid before he noticed she was shivering a little. He shrugged out of his leather jacket and held it out as she said "I'll be okay, really." biting her lower lip, blushing when she found the jacket put around her regardless how many arguments she made that she wasn't all that cold.

Was he flirting with her? If she had better confidence where he was concerned, she'd almost say he was.. But she didn't, so she automatically reminded herself he probably only felt like a brother to her.

They looked up from their conversation at one point, Anna looking at her cell phone, laughing a little when she said "It's midnight."

"Wow.. And I should have gotten you home so you can sleep forever ago." Jacob said as he raked his hand over his hair, stood to help her up. She walked back inside to tell Billy and Rachel and of course Paul goodbye for the night, Billy making her promise to come back as much as she wanted, making her laugh as she walked back out and let Jacob help her back onto his bike.

Before she knew it, she was sitting back in her father's driveway, and saying goodbye to Jacob. "Hey, if you wanna come by sometimes, it's fine with me." she said casually as Jacob smiled and said "I will. Trust me. You'll get sick of me."

"Doubtful." Anna blurted, laughing a little as she called out, "It was nice to see you guys again." before disappearing into the house. As Jacob started up his bike again, he smiled to himself. Tonight went really well. Maybe he'd actually get through to her finally. Though he got the sneaking suspicion that she thought he only felt friendship towards her.

But he was going to do this right to make up for all the times he'd screwed up where she was concerned in the past. He took off, going back home. He'd go by and see her again later this week. In the meantime, he'd talk to Bella about being the guy who walked down the aisle with her sister at Bella's wedding.

For once in a really long time since this bizarre and painful, long string of events began back then, he finally felt like maybe they'd both finally be happy and where they were meant to be.


	8. Chapter 8

She rolled over in the twin sized bed, promptly falling off, used to her king sized bed back in California. As she hit the hardwood, she winced and grumbled, pulling herself up by the sheets, flopping back down onto the bed as she rubbed at her eyes, forcing herself awake. Today, she needed to start looking for a job, she knew this, but the bed was so cozy. Reluctantly, however, she tore herself out of the bed, stretching as she grabbed some clothes and stumbled into the bathroom that attached to the bedroom she was slowly making her own.

Her stuff came from California over the weekend, and what she hadn't put in storage, she'd let Bella pick through, see if there was anything in it they could use when they found a house, thinking she didn't need all that furniture, and it sitting in storage was essentially wasting it.

Of course, her father took the sectional that'd been in her living room, it was now in his.

But she had all her clothes, all of her old photo albums, everything she'd had crammed in the small beach house, decorating it, was decorating her room here. All in all, it was an interesting and eclectic blend of well, weirdness. She looked around the room, smiled to herself as she started to work on her makeup for the day, sitting on the top of the mirrored dresser, music playing softly to sort of start the whole 'waking up' process.

When she was finally finished with her makeup and happy with the end result, she jogged down the stairs and into the dining room, flopping into a seat at the small wooden table. Her father looked up from his newspaper, looked at the clock on the wall in the kitchen and then promptly leaned in, feeling her for signs of a fever as he said "Wow. I thought you'd sleep in until lunch."

"Not today, sir. Getting off my ass and going to look for a job." Anna said as she sipped some orange juice she'd poured for herself before sitting down while scanning over the classifieds. She smiled when she realized that the Victoria's Secret in the Port Angeles mall was hiring apparently. "And I think I found one for now.. I gotta make a call, I'll be right back in." she said as she stepped out, called the store manager over her old job and then got him to ask if they could just transfer her to Port Angeles, after taking a little while to explain the circumstances to him.

A few minutes later, she got a call from the store manager in Port Angeles who told her to come in and get all of her information on file around lunch that day. Which left her with over half the morning left. Or so she thought until the dress shop her dress for Bella's wedding was being fitted in called and told her that she needed to come in and try the dress now, because it'd been altered.

"Well? How'd the call go?"

"I'm just going to transfer from one Victoria's Secret to another for now, probably go to college too. For what, I don't honestly know, sir.. I mean dancing's out." Anna muttered as Charlie said " Maybe not entirely.. I mean you could always teach dance to little girls at the fitness center. Didn't you say you might like to do that?" while looking at her in concern.

He hated seeing her dream go up in flames, knowing that as her father, there wasn't some magic wand he could wave to fix it for her. She'd spent nearly all of her life chasing said dream and if she'd kept trying, he was almost confident that she'd have achieved it in the end.

But then the more selfish part of him as her father, the part that liked having both her and Bella here, close to him kicked in and he was happy that she'd come back here and was going to stay.

"Actually, dad, that's not a bad idea. I could work both places." Anna mused as she took a bite of toast and then said with a smile, "So.. What are you going to do today?"

"Today is an off day, thank god. If nothing comes up, Billy and I are probably gonna hit the lake and go fishing for a few hours. He called earlier and asked if I wanted to go. Said he wanted to talk to me, hasn't seen me in a while." Charlie answered as he asked in curiousity, "How'd the ride go last night? With Jake? I always liked that kid." while looking at her, trying to figure out whether things went well or not at all.

He couldn't tell.

"I actually had a good time. I mean granted, let's not start planning my wedding, but we talked and things got straightened out, so it was good. I never really could stay angry at him for long though." Anna admitted as her father laughed and said "Nah. I think that last fight was probably the longest you ever stayed mad at anyone." while smiling at her.

She nodded and hugged her father before getting the keys to the truck off of the hanger next to the door and then saying, "So I'm off to be fitted. For this dress. Again.. And I'm seriously questioning why in the hell I ordered the dress I ordered now. This will only be the third time I have to be fitted." as she heard a motorcycle stopping in the driveway, her brow raising, she bit her lip as she peeked out the door.

"Okay.. He's here.. At 8 am." she muttered to herself, wondering what he was doing at her house at 8 am.. She raked her hand through her long and shaggy bangs as she opened the door and smiled as she said "Jacob, hi.. What brings you by?"

"I have to go to the damn tuxedo shop. Again. I thought I'd stop by, see if you wanted to come with me? Just so another person can tell me how shitty I already know this stupid thing is going to look on me?" as he grinned broadly at her.

Anna smiled a little, said casually, "Good, you can repay the favor, because thanks to having a case of no figure to speak of, I too have to go in and be fitted. Again. If they finish our clothes for this wedding before her 25th anniversary at this point, I'll be impressed." Anna joked as Jacob laughed and said "Yeah. It really seems like they're taking their time, doesn't it?"

"Dad, I'm gonna ride with Jacob to the dress shop in town. Apparently, they messed up his tuxedo also. Again." Anna called out as Charlie smiled to himself and muttered quietly, "It could be a sign." before calling out to his daughter, "You wear a helmet and hang on. I don't want you wrecking again."

"I'll make sure she's safe, sir." Jacob called out as Anna looked up at him and managed a slight smile, walking out to the bike with him, getting on the back. The bike roared to life and she again found herself thrust against his back, hanging on for dear life. She tapped him and then said "Whoa.. This thing is way too fast.." in concern. He shook his head and said "Not when you get used to it", noting the concern in her voice, the concerned look in her eyes.

The drive into town seemed like it flew by, literally, the trees passing them by in brown and green blurs on either side of the road, her clinging a little tighter to Jacob so she didn't fly off the back of the thing. She got the sneaking suspicion that maybe he was leadfooting it on purpose, but she'd yet to really figure out why.

Jacob smiled as the slight increase in speed had her grabbing a hold of him tighter and called out over the noise of the motor, "If I scare you, tell me, okay?"

"Whoa, shit.. Scared here." Anna laughed out as she peered over his shoulder at the speedometer and saw that they were going probably 55, maybe 60 at the most, but it honestly felt like the bike was moving at least a good 110 miles per hour.

He slowed down a little and she relaxed and said "Thanks, I.. I really haven't ever ridden a motorcycle until last night.. I've always wanted to, but I've kind of been a pussy about it until this point.. I think I see why now. Are you sure this thing is safe for you even?" she asked in friendly concern as they stopped in the parking lot of the shop where his tuxedo and her dress were and he helped her off before answering, "It's fine, I mean I've been riding for probably 7 years now.." as he held her gaze a moment, then forced himself to open the door, letting her slink in in front of him.

The tailor handed him his tuxedo and then handed Anna the dress and nodded towards the dressing room and said stiffly, "They're unlocked." as he looked at them over the rim of his glasses. They walked towards the dressing rooms and Anna ducked into one, Jacob going into the other.

She grumbled in frustration when she realized that the stupid zipper was hung about halfway up. "Fucking shit. That's about right." she grumbled aloud, hearing the deep and slightly seductive sound of Jacob's laughing from the next stall as he said "And again, this idiot gets the shoulders wrong. I look like fucking Urkel right now. Seriously? As annoyed as they seem to be to have to keep calling us, you'd think that they'd oh, I dunno, get it right."

They stepped out into the mirrored hallway in front of the fitting rooms, and she grumbled as she turned and asked sheepishly, "Zip?"

He tried to control the oversized lump in his throat and the effect that seeing her in the dress had on him, or the slight flash of red satin beneath just where the zipper seemed to be stuck and tried to will his hands from shaking a good bit. He finally managed to zip the dress all the while kicking himself for wanting to just rip the thing off of her. He'd blame that on the shifter portion of himself. And that was exactly what he was sticking to.

She turned and did a turn in the dress then looked at his tuxedo, stifling a laugh at the sleeves, how they stopped slightly above his wrists when they were supposed to come all the way down. "Wow.. " she muttered while trying to ignore the heated blush that rose over her body, seeing him in the tuxedo. It honestly looked like fabric and muscle were fighting against one another for dominance and that muscle was winning the fight currently, making the tuxedo fit in an odd way.

And she immediately palmed her face as she caught herself about to covertly check his ass out.

"Did you let my sister pick this?" she asked, barely hiding a smug grin when he mumbled a few swears and said "No, Alice did, actually." while raking his hand over his buzz cut, surveying himself in the mirror. She grabbed his hand and said "Since they're obviously not going to get these right and there's not much more they can do to them without screwing them up.. Let's see if we can't find anything in this damn store that even remotely fits."

He raised a brow then she said with a slightly pouty grin, "Aww, Jacob, don't you trust me?" joking with him. He nodded dumbly and they walked out, looking through the racks. After calling to find out what color their respective outfits had to be beyond a shadow of a doubt, they finally managed to find a black tuxedo that fit Jacob.

"And now, we find a dress." Anna said as Jacob raised a brow but she said "Shut it and help me, Black."

"Are you sure that's a really smart idea, I mean my idea of a dress and yours, Anna.." he trailed off as she grabbed three and then nodded at him to wait, let her try them on. He groaned inwardly. If she had any idea how tempted he was by this whole situation right now.. Somehow, he got the strong feeling that despite the slightly flirtatious nature of this whole shopping trip so far, she still only thought he only wanted her as a friend again or something.

Which of course, frustrated him, but made the chase and eventual potential catch after said chase so much more worthwhile to him. He grumbled at himself, everything seemed to be looping back to just how badly he wanted to tell her he loved her, that he sort of always had, and then show her just how much he wanted her, how crazy she drove him.

She stepped out in the first dress, a mini dress that accentuated her legs and had him groaning inwardly as he thought about just how many people would probably stare at said legs and he shook his head then said "Somehow, I don't think that'd be the best idea, Anna." with a smirk as she ducked back into the dressing room but only after giving him a raised brow.

Anna leaned against the wall, wondering why in the hell he looked jealous for a second just now. She looked at the dress and then grumbled as she said "Makes my ass look too fat anyway." making Jacob snicker outside the door as she passed it back over to him.

The next dress, of course, plunged deep in the neckline, but it was long and after coughing, he shot that one down too. She scowled and raked her hand through her bangs as she stared at him a moment, then said casually, "And you're shooting that one down why? I mean it covers my ass."

_'at the expense of showcasing your not as flat as you think chest, babe. i really think you're doing this on purpose.' _Jacob thought to himself as his eyes darted around the store. He held up his finger, walked over and pulled one off the hanger nearest the door, handed it to her. "Try that." he said as she looked at the dress, then at him, brow raised, suspicious before muttering, "At this rate, I'll take anything." and walking into the dressing room.

She shrieked aloud "Oh my freaking God, you, sir, are.."

She stepped out and his throat almost closed on him but he managed to say "And you look amazing." as he shrugged. Nevermind that he'd noticed that the dress she'd picked sort of had a decidedly retro look to it, so he'd just grabbed the closest one to what it actually looked like, in the damn store.

She smirked as she and Jacob changed back into their normal clothing and then slinking up to the cashier she said quietly, "We'll take these." handing him her card as she said "Tell the tailor not to even worry about trying to fit the suit and the dress again."

Walking out of the dress shop, Jacob heard her stomach growling and said "Are you hungry?"

"A little, yeah.. Why?"

"Me too. We can go grab something if you want." he suggested. She shrugged casually and got on the bike behind him as she said "Sure. Anything works for me."

About ten minutes later, they sat outside of a McDonalds, breakfast McGriddles in hand, coffee between them as he said casually, "Today was fun.. I mean I hate shopping."

"Yeah, it actually was." Anna admitted as she watched the traffic going by on the road intently. "So, I'm transferring my old job to the mall in Port Angeles. That's out of the way. No turning back now, huh?" she said as he smirked to himself and then said "Nope. Like I said last night. I'm glad your back. And I'm sorry about that last fight."

"You don't have to keep apologizing for it, Jacob. Water under the bridge. Besides, I said just as much that night as you did, so if you're sorry, so am I." Anna said as she balled up the wrapper to her food, lazily aimed it at a trash bin nearby.

He stood and pulled her up as he said casually, "Ready?"

"Yeah. I gotta get into the mall and do the paperwork for my work transfer." Anna said as Jacob said casually, "I was gonna go there anyway.."

"Are you sure you don't mind?" Anna asked in concern as he shook his head and said "Nah." letting her get back onto the bike behind him, smiling as he heard her actually giggling when he stepped on it, before she tapped his shoulder seconds later and said "I think the whole motorcycle thing is growing on me, to be honest."

Maybe if they kept being thrown together like this, things would ultimately work themselves out and he could finally tell her what he'd been wanting to for almost 6 years or more now.


	9. Chapter 9

She'd been alone in the house for maybe an hour or two, tops, when the storm started. She clenched her teeth, bit her fingernails as she bunched down into the blanket on the couch, the container for her Chinese takeout and several college text books open all around her, the tv on playing a horror movie marathon on some channel she wasn't even really paying attention to currently.

"Wow. I forgot just how paranoid really bad weather makes me." she muttered to herself before ultimately laughing it off, slamming her notebook and the college texts closed, rubbing her head. She was starting to get a migraine, it seemed like all she'd done since she started at PAU a week or two before, was study. But so far, it was fine with her. She'd decided to just take basic courses, try and figure out what she might want to do, career wise. So far, nursing seemed to be a tempting choice.

Standing, she stretched and slunk to the window in the den, looking out, up at the moon, at the lightning as it rolled across the sky. And groaned inwardly when the house went completely dark. "Fuck." she swore as she dug around in the drawer of the small table right next to the front door, muttering as she tried to find the box of matches and the candles that her father kept handy in case of a power outage.

A sudden movement behind her as her eyes temporarily met the mirror that hung above the table had her raising a brow. Then she heard the wind, it almost sounded as if it were actually blowing into the house. "Get it together, Anna." she muttered as she closed her hands around a long white candle, a box of matches, and lastly, the silver letter opener in the very back of the drawer.

She slid her feet out of the slippers she'd been wearing, even though they were soft soled, they wouldn't have made much noise to begin with, and striking the match, she lit the candle, quickly blowing it out again as she tiptoed carefully up the stairs, making sure to avoid the 5th one up, she remembered from previous experience as a wild teenager, when she had visited and snuck out, that it squeaked hellishly loud, and the last thing she wanted to do, if there were someone in the house with her, was give away the fact that she was trying to sneak up on them.

The candle's flame danced as if it were toying with extinguishing itself, and she slowly pushed the door to her room open, squeezing her eyes shut, the letter opener raised as she stepped into the room only to open her eyes, realize that somehow, the bedroom window was open, and the wind was in fact blowing in. Which she could have written off, if say she actually remembered leaving the window open, which she didn't, of course.

"You probably didn't shut it earlier, Anna, it's nothing." she muttered to herself as she raked her hand through her hair, reminded herself that Bella was the one who freaked out over nothing, not her. She was the calm and cool, collected one.

Turning, she'd been just about to walk out of the room, but she happened to look down at the desk and see a rose lying there. Again, she tried rationalizing it, maybe her sister or her father had been in her room earlier and left it?

The logical reasoning part of her brain was fast running out of excuses and ways to write off this whole bizarre occurrence, and she paced the small room a few moments, her hands in her long and slightly messy brown hair while biting her fingernails.

A door slammed shut downstairs and she went wide eyed for a few moments before grumbling in exasperation with herself and muttering, "It's probably nothing."

She grabbed the letter opener again and the candle, striking another match and relighting it, as she made her way back down the stairs, wincing and gritting her teeth at every sound the old and empty house made around her. She flattened herself against the wall opposite the kitchen and caught her breath, straining to hear. She didn't hear anything, but that didn't mean that nothing was there to be heard. The panic was rising now, she was really starting to see that whatever was happening defied proper logic.

Then she noticed the faint and sour smell of old and musty, damp decay in the air around her. She sniffed a little then tried reasoning with herself that maybe the storm outside, the grass and dirt in the yard getting wet was making the air smell like that.

Until of course, she thought she saw a flash of shadowy movement from the top of the stairs. Was there more than one person in her father's house? Her heart picked up the pace of it's frenzied beating against her ribcage and she found herself instead of picking up the phone in the kitchen and calling the police dispatch, which she knew was the logical next step, as a cop's kid.. She started up the stairs slowly, quietly, towards her room again.

She closed her eyes, pushed the bedroom door back open and then peeked through her partially closed eyes, raising a brow at the window, which was now closed.

"Maybe I did that earlier and just got so freaked out.." she said aloud to herself as the lights came back on, the television downstairs came back on, the white noise of the static loud and almost setting her teeth on edge. She laughed at herself and put the letter opener down on the desk/makeup table in her room before shutting the door again, going back downstairs.

She'd flopped down on the couch when she heard knocking on the door. Jacob called out, "Anna?" as he strained to hear, more than a little panicked, because he'd called her earlier, texted a few times on his last break at work, just to see if maybe she'd want to hang out tonight, some of the guys were having a bonfire at First Beach, and they'd been nagging him about being quote 'a selfish bastard' where Anna was concerned.

"Yeah, hang on.. Sort of collecting myself right now." she called out shakily, wondering what on Earth made him come by, and what in the hell he was doing out in the storm that was still roaring outside. She opened the door and he noticed she looked pale, freaked out. It hit him that she hated bad weather, that'd been a smaller reason (other than his panic at her not answering his texts or call )why he'd driven over, as soon as he saw Charlie's patrol car parked outside of a crime scene near the garage he worked at on his way in from work.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I think I just kind of freaked myself out or something.. It's childish, but I still hate storms." she admitted sheepishly as she stepped aside, let him in. He looked at the general chaos on Charlie's living room coffee table, and then said "Have you taken a break at all?"

"Not really, no. I've been trying to catch up with everybody else in my classes." Anna admitted as he sat down, groaned as he realized that of course, despite the weather, she'd also apparently been letting the tv play through a marathon of horror movies.

The lights flickered again and she tensed, warily found herself moving a little closer to Jacob on the couch as he chuckled, found her cell phone and then said "I, umm, tried to call about an hour ago."

She palmed her face and said sheepishly, "Sorry, I was sort of in the zone, writing this damn paper. I might not have had cell service, either. Provider's notoriously shitty in Washington, I'm learning." as he said quietly, "Yeah. I guess I didn't think of that.. I just kind of.. Nevermind."

She blinked a little as she watched him fidgeting a little bit, obviously nervous. "You shouldn't be out in this, Jake, not on that bike." she said a few seconds later as he shrugged and said " Kinda used to taking risks." quietly. "You shouldn't, though." Anna muttered, concerned for him, thinking that duh, they were friends, naturally she didn't want something happening to him.

"So, why were you freaked out when you opened the door?" Jacob asked as Anna sighed, shrugging as she muttered, "It's stupid, really. I'm always paranoid when there's bad weather out." Jacob studied her a few moments and then said "No, it's not just that.. I can sort of tell." before reaching his hand out, tucking her hair behind her ear as he asked, "So, what was it?"

"I'm telling you, Jacob, it wasn't anything. I just thought I saw someone in the house, it was probably just an illusion trick of the moonlight or something. I went upstairs and my bedroom window was open. Not a big deal, I probably just forgot to shut it after my shower when I got in from work earlier."

She caught sight of his knuckles, groaned inwardly when she saw them, busted, blood dried. "What happened to you?"

" Apparently, this Chevelle that came in the garage today decided to be Christine's incarnate. Hood slammed shut on my hand, and I managed to bust a few knuckles while working on it. It's not a big deal."

"Right.. and you didn't clean them and bandage them.. It's called infection, Jacob." Anna explained as she stood, walked into the kitchen, grabbing bandages, antiseptic, peroxide from the first aid drawer, coming back in and sitting down on the lower wooden table in front of the couch as she took his hand, held it in hers, on her leg, worked on cleaning out the busted and bloodied knuckles.

"Ouch, shit.. Seriously, Anna, I think it's clean now." Jacob grumbled as he bit his lower lip and looked at her, staring into her eyes for a few moments, her staring into his quietly, still holding his hand where she held it on her leg. She cleared her throat after reminding herself that he wasn't interested in her, they were simply becoming friends again and she had to learn to deal with that.

No matter how much knowing that, or thinking she did, hurt her like hell.

"Jacob, it's still bubbling. So no, sir, it is not clean. Hold still, damn it, I've seen 3 year olds who are less of a baby about this." Anna said quietly as she leaned down directly over his hand, pressing her lips together, blowing softly on the peroxide as it bubbled out of his knuckles, as her mother had done for her and her sister countless times over the years when they'd get hurt and she had to clean out their cuts and scrapes.

Her breath tickled his skin and he bit his lower lip, leaning in just a little bit more as he said quietly, his voice coming out thicker than he expected it to, "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." she said quietly as she looked up and promptly mentally kicked herself as she got lost in his eyes again. She blinked, turned her attention back to his hand, dabbing the antiseptic cream onto his knuckles carefully before holding his hand between hers as she said "There's not a bandage big enough, so I'm gonna wrap it in gauze. Gauze is probably better anyway, the scars can breathe." quietly while wrapping the gauze around his hand.

His hand squeezed her leg gently, she bit her lower lip as she felt an almost electric like jolt where his hand lingered and looked up at him. She bit her lower lip, trying not to focus on his lips or his eyes, because if she did, she was royally fucked. The loud clap of thunder had her jumping, sent her into his lap and she groaned to herself. She didn't want to fall for him, not after all the work she'd done to convince herself that she'd be okay with just being his friend, that she could settle for friendship.

But it seemed like everything that'd happened, since she'd come back here, was pushing her right towards him again. And she was still scared to death of that.

Jacob tensed as her scent filled his nose, her body being pressed against his sent a thousand electrically charged pulses through his muscles, and all he could really do was just try not to push things where he desperately wanted them to go.

"It was just thunder." he said with a slight chuckle as she muttered, "And I hate storms." before looking up at him, wondering why in the hell she wasn't moving, why she still sat there, in his lap.

"Are you really okay? I mean you still seem spooked." Jacob pointed out as Anna palmed her face and rubbed her forehead, the migraine making it's presence known again, as she'd completely forgotten about it in the blind panic she'd worked herself into earlier before Jacob showed up.

She went to stand, walked in the kitchen with her legs wobbling like they were made of Jello and slamming down two tylenol, she braced the sink. Had she sat there any more, she'd have done something really, really stupid and kissed him.

He spoke up from behind her, his breath warm on her neck as he asked quietly, "Do I make you nervous or something? Because it seems like I make you really, really nervous.. And that's not what I'm trying to do."

"No, it's just.." Anna said as she bit her lower lip, tried to think of the best way to phrase things before saying quietly, "Nothing, it's stupid."

The sudden appearance of her father in the doorway, just as they were both leaning in, probably about to kiss, had Jacob groaning inwardly, and Anna blushing bright red as her father walked into the kitchen, eyeing them both, trying not to laugh before grabbing a beer and going into the den, turning on a game on tv.

"Thanks for bandaging my hand."

"Thanks for coming by to see if I was okay. Sorry, it's just.. I mean I guess my stupid phone didn't have service." she said in a nervous rush as Jacob asked, "So.. If the weather's better tomorrow.. There's gonna be this thing at First Beach, a bonfire or something.. And the guys have been bitching at me.. Do you wanna come with me?"

"Sure. I'd like that." Anna said quietly, licking her lips as he smiled, said casually, "I'll wait for you when your shift's done at the mall.. I wish they wouldn't stick you on nights."

"Me too, but hey, it's money.. Right?" Anna muttered, her hand trailing through her hair as he leaned in, kissed her on the forehead before telling her father goodbye, leaving to go back to his own house, satisfied that she wasn't in some kind of danger, she was completely and totally fine.

Anna grumbled at herself. Now she was totally confused.. That whole thing with them just now.. Felt like more than friendship. But she thought that's all he wanted, all he'd ever want. She scowled as she dug out a container of mint chocolate chip ice cream from the freezer, went into the den with her father to watch a few blissfully mind numbing hours of sports.


	10. Chapter 10

The alarm started going off right next to her ear and she rolled over, promptly landing on the hard wooden floor, grimacing as she sat up and said quietly, "No matter how many damn times I try and avoid that, it always happens. I swear to God, I'm going to make myself a bed rail before this is all said and done." flustered with herself. She'd let him get in her head, apparently, she'd spent all night in a neverending series of very very racy dreams and as a result, her cheeks were flushed, her body heated like it was on fire all over and her general mood for the day was borderline angry.

Yeah, it was definitely going to be a long and awkward day alright, considering that not only did she have the wedding rehearsal to get through, with him in temptations reach, she'd also said she'd go to some bonfire with him at First Beach tonight.

If this was her plan for not letting herself fall again, not letting herself want him or be weak enough and stupid enough to tell him just how much she loved him and how much she wanted him, then her plan was indeed the most epic of fails. Because she could clearly see how badly it was going to go. Because as per usual, where she was involved, the usual would happen, Bella would need him or something, with her shitty luck, and she'd be forgotten. Sure, he'd been hanging around almost constantly for a few weeks now, but that meant nothing where her twin sister was concerned.

She just needed some kind of sign that it was okay to go for it. The sooner this wedding happened, the better. Because she'd decided that she wanted to take her chances and let it all go this time, just tell him how she'd always felt, see how things went from there.

Which she was already dreading, because the fear that he'd reject her feelings, or worse, was still there, hanging on heavily. They never just let her be, these feeling and insecurities, and it was really beginning to irritate her.

Her door opened a crack and she said stiffly, "I'm up, sis." as she pulled herself up by the sheets. Bella raised a brow and then said "Are you feeling okay?" in concern.

"I'm fine. Just had a dream and fell off the bed when the alarm on my cell interrupted it, that's all." Anna said stiffly as she grabbed some clothes and ignored her sister's nosy question about the dream she'd been having before shutting the bathroom door and turning on the hot water, stepping beneath, promptly shrieking when it was scalding hot.

She had to do something, the whole dream had been entirely too real.. She could still feel the way his large rough hands slid over her skin, even thinking about it now was sending shivers down her spine. Naturally, it didn't help that her mind took the two almost kisses and virtually ran with the damn things, creating an entire hypothetical scenario in her mind, that while hot, was going to make it damn near impossible to look at him or the table in her father's kitchen downstairs in the same way ever again.

"Damn it. I have to be so damn frustrating." she ground through gritted teeth as she started washing out her hair, quickly showering, stepping out, wrapping a towel around her petite frame.

Bella knocked on the bathroom door as she said "Let me see the dress you picked up the other day."

"Hold on sis." Anna called out as she hurriedly dressed in the clothes she'd grabbed, and stepped into the bedroom, noticing Bella nosing around her pictures, looking at the parts of Anna's life that Anna kept her family out of until recently.

"Not shy about your body, huh?" Bella joked as Anna said calmly, "It's only gonna look like this for so long, Bells, I might as well enjoy it. I worked my ass off to be in this shape." before holding the dress out to her sister as she said "So, are we rehearsing the entire thing?"

"Yeah, and I'm making a change.. You are walking down the aisle with Jacob. He wanted to walk you down."

Anna groaned inwardly. Damn it, now she'd never make it through the night without doing something really, really stupid. It seemed like all reason and logic, her common sense even had always flown out the window where he was concerned. And now, it was getting worse, because her stupid heart kept telling her that he was returning said feelings.

Her mind however, remained stubborn in the fact that he wasn't, she was just hoping he was and setting herself up for a huge fall.

"That's fine with me." she said as she added, "Let's get going. We're gonna be late." after applying the finishing touch to her makeup and slipping her feet into the high heels she was wearing with her skinny jeans and black one shoulder top.

Bella looked at her sister, brow raised. "Are you okay? You're acting jittery."

"Because, Bella, I am jittery. Very, very jittery." Anna admitted as she grumbled at herself about supposedly being past all of the damn horny teenager horomones, how she was an adult now. Bella laughed a little and then said "When you're done with your rant, sis."

"I'm done, I'm good."

She walked out of the house and was about to get into the truck, drive herself over to the church, but the motorcycle stopped in the driveway. Jacob stepped off, called out, "I thought we could ride over together.. I mean since you said you wanted to go to First Beach with me tonight? You do still want to.. Right?" hopefully.

Anna smiled and Bella got into the Volvo and said to Alice, "She's got a ride to the church. And apparently, a date afterward." as Alice giggled and said happily, "I told you they'd be fine. I told you that he'd be okay.. That things have a way of correcting themselves."

Bella nodded and smiling said "I'm glad. She's always loved him. He deserves that."

Jacob leaned against the bike trying to ignore the huge lump in his throat that seemed to stay there when he was around Anna. "You look amazing." he said as he helped her on and let her wiggle into place, while trying not to think of the things those lips, those hands and those legs had done to him while sleeping and dreaming the night before.

Because he was trying to take things slowly, do things right to fix all of the wrong he'd done where she was concerned in the first place and any urges just made him feel like an ass, like he had no right to feel them, not after what he'd put her through.

"You do too." Anna admitted as she rested her head against his neck, her lips almost brushing, sending electric tingles down his body. They'd just pulled into the church parking lot and he'd just helped her off when Mike Newton wandered over. His arm went around her, pulling her closer to him as he said calmly, "Newton."

" I didn't think you'd show up, Jacob."

"Why wouldn't I? She was my best friend." Jacob said as he rolled his eyes. Like he couldn't see right through what Mike was doing, in bringing up the whole thing with Bella. Anna stiffened and he slowly slid his hand down, rested it on her back, his thumb tracing slow and lazy circles where his hand rested as he looked at Mike and said with a smirk, "Did you actually come over here to say anything, or.."

"I actually came over to ask Anna if she'd save me a dance." Mike said as Anna groaned inwardly. Jacob's jealousy flared and he looked at Mike as he shrugged and said simply, "She's gonna be kinda busy. And I really don't think they dance at these things anyway.. If they did, she'd be dancing with me. Right Anna?"

Anna bit her lip, nodded dumbly as she said quietly, "Yeah, Jake.". This entire thing felt like he was actually threatened by Mike's even speaking to her.. The way he was just being so dominant. She liked it. As soon as she had that thought, she mentally kicked herself.

The only reason he was doing this, was because he'd never liked Mike. There was no hidden meaning in his actions, or anything he said. They were friends, she reminded herself for the milionth time. Emmett walked over and took Jacob off to the side, looking at him in amusement as he asked, "You gonna be okay, dog?"

"If he backs the hell off, yes. If he doesn't, not making any promises as to how okay Mike will be by the end of the day." Jacob stated as he watched Mike chatting up Anna, who was his, not Mikes, nor anyone elses, his, with a scowl.

"She's not flirting with him.. Right?"

"Anna's not a flirt. She's more of a skip the flirting thing and go in for the kill. So no, Black, she's not interested in Mike, not in the slightest." Emmett mused as he gave the other male a nudge in Anna's direction adding, "Just thought I'd make sure you two weren't going to go for the throat right here."

"Jacob doesn't really like me. Does he?" Mike asked as he leaned in just a little. "Not really, no." Anna admitted as she asked in confusion, "Any reason you're over here?"

"I wanted to talk to you."

"About?"

"About maybe going on a date with me?" Mike asked as Anna rolled her eyes when he wasn't looking, then silently muttered, "Thank you Lord." when Jacob made his way back over, having heard what Mike just asked her. Anna spoke up and said "I already have plans, Mike. Going to First Beach with Jacob."

"What about tomorrow?"

"I have a paper due in one of my courses?" she managed weakly before Jacob, who was all but clenching his fists and gritting his teeth currently, said stiffly, " She's here, with me, Newton."

"That's for right now." Mike said calmly, not understanding why Jacob was getting so worked up currently. Jacob smirked and said " Actually, Newton, she's with me. Now do you get it? As in I'm seeing her. And she's currently not interested." before mentally kicking himself as he thought _'Crap.. yeah, that was a really fucking smooth move, Black.'_

To his shock, Anna said calmly, "He's right, Mike." as she scooted closer, leaning against him a little to appear if what he'd just said was in fact true. His arm went around her and he rested his chin on her head as he looked at Mike with a slightly less than furious smirk, practically daring him to say or do something else to try and come between him and Anna.

Mike grumbled and shaking his head, walked away quickly, looking for Jessica. He'd been hoping to get time alone with Anna, now he wasn't, so he might as well just get over it.

"I swear to God, one day, that guy will piss me off and I'm going to stick my foot right up his..." Jacob trailed off as his father coughed and looked at him, trying not to laugh as he said "Calm down, son."

Anna looked at Jacob, confused, her brow raised before shrugging and shaking her head. All he was doing was getting her out of a very uncomfortable situation. That had to be it.. Didn't it?

She was so confused currently, it wasn't funny.

They walked into the church, and she looked up at him for a moment and gave him a slight smile as he winked at her and muttered, "The sooner this is done, the better. This damn tie."

"Because you tied it wrong." Anna said as she leaned in, brushing against him purely by mistake, straightening the tie. She held on for a second, looking up at him. "Thanks for saving my ass out there. I swear, since I came back, it's like he's got this annoying radar where I'm concerned."

"Anything for you." he muttered as he slipped his hand into her hand, their fingers lacing together, and walked down the aisle, going to their respective sides. He snickered to himself when he saw her shedding the heels after a few minutes, standing barefoot.

With the rehearsal out of the way, they walked out of the church, her carrying her shoes in her hand, he shook his head as he bent slightly, picked her up easily. "Rocks" he said casually as he carried her out past their fathers who looked at one another, exchanging knowing smirks and whispering, before sitting her on the back of his bike.

"Let's get out of here." Anna said as she smiled and nodding he said "Yeah, it's probably a good idea we do, because if I stay? Mike's probably going to be missing half his teeth." before sliding on his bike, starting it up. She held on a little tighter than she had been on their rides before now and he smirked to himself. He hadn't meant to lose it like he had almost earlier, but he'd just gotten so pissed at the way Mike kept on.

Anna looked around the beach, then back at Jacob who shrugged mysteriously as he said "C'mon."

"I thought you said there was going to be a bonfire?"

"There is.. But it's just me and you?" Jacob explained, his hand in his hair, giving her that look that made it impossible for her to think straight even a little. He grabbed her hand and lead her down the beach, starting the fire as he muttered quietly ," I wanted to surprise you. I know you like the sunset.." before taking out food that was inside of the wicker basket that had already been sitting on the beach, on top of a blue plaid blanket.

Anna smiled, blushing a little as she raked her hands through her hair, looked at him and said quietly, "Oh trust me. I'm totally surprised right now."

"Good." Jacob said as he took a bite out of the burger, leaning against her. Anna laughed as she took a large and messy bite of her own food then said through a mouth full, "What made you do this?"

"I wanted to." Jacob said simply as he slid her in front of him, his arms going around her, his chin resting on her shoulder as he pointed up and asked, "Is that a shooting star?"

"Nope, it's a satellite." Anna answered as she let herself lean back a little. Maybe if she just went with it, this would all work out. She really wasn't sure just how much longer she could reasonably expect herself to fight off what she was feeling for him.

Especially not when he did things like this, acted like he had today at the rehearsal when Mike wouldn't just leave her alone and kept flirting with her, right in front of his face as if he were daring Jacob to do something, pushing him to do something about it.


	11. Chapter 11

Anna had been dreading the wedding. She knew that this would be the real test, was Jacob only going after her because her sister wasn't available, or was he really trying to make her fall for him. So, when they'd gotten to the reception, she'd sort of distanced herself. Currently, she was hanging around her father and her mother, watching Alice and Jasper showing off on the dance floor, calling out teasing remarks, blending in.

Jacob scanned the crowd. She'd been acting distant all through the ceremony, and Edward, since the two came to terms with one another and Edward no longer felt 'threatened' peeked into Anna's head for Jacob at the end of the ceremony when she'd practically dashed into the area the reception was being held at in the Cullen's large yard, and he'd realized that Anna was doing this so she wouldn't be hurt. She still thought that he'd try one last time to make Bella want him back.

She leaned against the columns, twisting a fallen strand of light brown hair around her fingertips as she and Leah whispered about something. Just watching her, knowing what Edward saw in her thoughts, really made him realize just how much damage got done a long time ago, how hard this was going to be, apparently. Because she might be slowly giving in, but she was putting up one hell of a fight and taking her dear sweet time to do so.

Leah tried everything to convince Anna she had nothing to worry about. Anna looked at her lifetime best friend and pointed out, "He was in love with her since we were kids, Leah. It's highly unlikely that just went away. I mean unless there's some kind of magical fairy granting my wishes for a change." while laughing dryly, sipping a stolen flute of champagne.

She'd seen Jacob talking to Bella earlier, seen them dancing, laughing.

But it hadn't lasted long. Leah, of course, knew that the only reason Jacob had been dancing with Bella was to find out where Anna managed to hide herself when she'd practically ran from the ceremony at the end of it.

Leah grumbled then said quietly to herself, "You'd be surprised, Anna." as Anna stared longingly out at the dance floor. She jumped nearly spilling the contents of her champagne flute on herself as she felt arms go around her waist, and the scent of Jacob's woodsy and clean cologne filled her nose. "You ran away from me." he muttered as Anna said quietly, "I just figured..."

"Figured what?" Jacob asked as Anna bit her lower lip and said "Nothing, okay? I just kinda thought that maybe you and my sister might have some things that were unsaid or something. I didn't wanna be in the way. I mean you were dancing with her earlier.. Kinda looked cozy." as she stared out at the dance floor, wishing everything were simpler, wishing she could just let her guard down where he was concerned, trust completely that he and her sister were done.

But she just couldn't. And them having a dance earlier only reminded her why letting her guard down was a very, very bad idea.

Jacob turned her around facing him as he said quietly, "The only reason I was dancing with her, Anna, is because I wanted to see if she'd seen you and wish her good luck. Nothing beyond that. Why's that so hard to believe?"

Anna sighed then said quietly, "Because it just is. I don't know. I don't wanna fight, okay? Let's not ruin this.." edging back a little only to have him grab her hand, pull her close to him again, then practically drag her across the yard, to the empty gazebo.

"What the hell?" Anna asked as Jacob chuckled and smiling quietly said "It's cute."

"What?"

"The way you get jealous for no actual reason, Anna." Jacob chuckled as he picked her up, twirling her around, sitting her back down on her feet carefully. "You give up too easily now." he stated as she said "Because, Jake.. It hurts one hell of a lot less than fighting a losing battle. I can't compete with her. I've always known it on some level. We've talked about this before."

"Not this openly." Jacob said as Anna groaned inwardly and muttered, "Yeah, well I've probably had 5 flutes of champagne too damn many too, so.." while looking up at him. He laughed a little and said "Lightweight. But then again the tiny ones always are." while pulling her closer to him, not really giving her a chance to get away.

If he did, he knew she'd be back in the crowd again. And he wanted to get some of this, the underlying tension and fear behind them, now. For their own good. Or he'd never get over the damn impressively high walls she had built around her heart and her feelings now. She sighed and looked up at him, biting her lower lip as she said quietly, "Okay, so I was jealous. Admitting it solves nothing."

"It does, actually. Because now I know not to even look at your sister. At least until you finally get it in your head that I'm not into her anymore. I wasn't into her in the first place. I thought I was because.." he bit his lower lip as he looked at her, dipped her and raised her back up again, his lips close enough to hers to brush them gently as he said quietly, "Because I didn't have you. I was misplacing my feelings for you, onto her. And it took you leaving and not coming back anymore to see it, finally." as he picked her up and twirled her around, standing her back on her own two feet again.

Bella nudged Edward, smiled as she nodded towards the gazebo. "He found her before she left." Edward smiled as he said "I had to help him out, pry around in her mind. Maybe it worked. Just hope he actually listens to what I told him, uses it."

"From the looks of it, he is. Or he's trying to.. We know how stubborn Anna can be when she gets something in her mind." Bella said as Edward nodded in agreement.

Anna shivered as his lips brushed hers, he muttered what he did to her quietly. She nodded, trying to process what he was saying at the moment. Did she trust him? Or did she keep telling herself that sooner or later, her sister would need him or want him and of course, he'd turn and go to her?

"I'm scared." she admitted as he nodded and said quietly, "Edward told me."

"He was in my fucking head again, wasn't he?" Anna asked, grumbling to herself as Jacob nodded, smirking, trailing his index finger slowly along her lower lip as he said quietly, "Yeah, he was. And I don't blame you for feeling that way."

She nodded and then said quietly, "So you're really not just doing this because she's not available anymore?"

"If I were, Anna, I wouldn't even be over here right now, I'd be over there, trying like hell to convince Bella to leave now while she could." Jacob said as Anna nodded quietly, shock still sort of resonating within her. "Let's go." he said quietly as she looked at him and raised a brow, he pointed out, "They're not going to miss us." while grabbing her hand, leading her towards his bike.

Billy nudged Charlie, pointed out their children apparently trying to sneak out of the reception unnoticed. Charlie smiled and nudged Renee who smiled and said quietly, "And maybe we'll be going to another wedding." Charlie shrugged as he said "It depends on our daughter letting her guard down, Renee."

"Something tells me he'll wear her down yet, Charlie." Billy said as they turned their attention to Bella and Edward's leaving for their honeymoon.

Anna laughed as Jacob carried her piggy back across the rocky driveway, and put her on the back of his bike. "Okay, so if you're abducting me, Jacob, where are you taking me?"

"Just somewhere." Jacob said as they took off, leaving the crowded and noisy wedding reception behind them. They had a lot to talk about, and he really didn't want to do it there. He was determined to get this all out in the open now, not later.

Well, nearly all of it. Some things he couldn't tell her just yet. But they had to work on this first. And he'd take as long as he had to to make her see that he really meant it. He really only wanted her. Nobody else.


	12. Chapter 12

x.X.x

_The finger trailed slowly over her warm human and very much alive skin as he stood over her, watching her sleep. He'd been sent an invitation to the wedding, and he'd seen her dancing with the wolf, which disgusted him quite frankly. Aro fancied himself a connieusseur and he'd love to add her to his collection, if for nothing more than a living doll, to play with. Her blood had smelled so sweet, really, it'd enticed him back here._

_ "Pretty girl." he muttered casually, noting that she slept halfway out of the covers at least, and despite the late fall chill in the air, she still slept in a t shirt, not much else. The moon shone in the open windows, making her skin sort of glow a golden color. Apparently she saw more sunlight than her sister._

_He stepped on a loose floorboard and she sat up, rubbing her eyes, looking around. "Who's there?" the girl with long flowing light brown asked, holding the sheet closed around her. She sat there a moment as if she were straining to hear anything, and then shrugged, muttered something about a bad dream and flopped back down into bed again, shoving her head beneath pillows._

_Aro slid his finger slowly over her pulse, leaned down and said quietly, "I'll see you soon, perhaps." before leaping from the window he'd willed open, and taking off at full speed through the woods. The wolf howled not even 10 seconds later and he smirked to himself, muttered, "I will have her, dog. Soon."_

x.X.x

Anna grumbled as she sat up for the second time that night, raking her hands through her hair, strained against the darkness in her room, trying to isolate what'd woken her up. When she saw the ray of light bouncing around on her mirror, shining right into her eyes, she grumbled and stood, prepared to give whoever was down on the ground playing a peeping tom or pranking her a good and loud piece of her mind.

But to her surprise, Jacob tumbled into her bedroom window seconds later, after practically running up the walls of the side of the house. "Are you okay?" Jacob asked, trying to stay calm, sniffing the air intently. Anna looked at him, biting her lower lip as she asked, "Umm, yeah?"

The smell of leech still lingered faintly, the fact that one of them might have dared to touch her had him practically shaking in rage. Then he remembered that he hadn't quite gotten around to telling her yet, his own secret, what he could do and what she was to him.. _'Fuck.. Way to overreact, Black. She doesn't know yet.. You better watch your ass unless you want to explain this to her now..' _he thought to himself as he immediately found a way to save his own ass for the moment, so to speak and pulling her against him, he said quietly, "I had to see you again.", his lips pressing against her forehead.

She quirked a brow at this, but she smiled to herself, remembering their talk from earlier. They were going to take things slowly, try and see what happened from there. She looked up at him and said quietly, "Why'd you ask if I were okay, though?"

"You looked spooked." Jacob admitted, as she nodded and said "It was weird. Like, I felt like someone was in here, with me. Like, this cold sensation.. Nevermind, I did watch that movie after you distinctly said it was a very, very bad idea." with Jacob's ears perking.. Had a leech been in here, with her? While she slept?

Now he was getting paranoid, given Bella's thing with Edward and how he'd given Anna up for her, and it wound up nearly costing him Anna.

"Yeah, I told you, didn't I? Friday the 13th is probably not the best thing to watch right before bed." Jacob said as he hid the rage he felt at whatever might have just happened, over the leech that might have been in the same room with Anna, watching her sleep, planning to do God only knew what to her.

"You okay, Jacob?" Anna asked as she felt her body heating, realized that pretty much all that seperated them from feeling skin on skin was a thin sheet and her t shirt.

Jacob coughed, realizing the same thing. He'd promised they'd take things slowly, seeing her like this tempted him beyond temptation, really. And it made it hard for him to control his inner and mostly dominant urges towards her. "Yeah, I'm fine." he said as she flopped back down onto bed, covering up. She patted the spot next to her, he flopped down. "So.. I didn't mean to wake you up." Jacob apologized as Anna shook her head and said " You didn't.. That bizarre dream I was telling you about kinda did. I feel better now though." smiling at him. She sensed somehow that he was insecure about something for one reason or another, so she figured she'd tell him that, maybe give him an ego boost.

"Good." he muttered, his arm going around her as she rolled over facing him and whispered, "I feel like a bad girl.. I mean I never really did this.. Bella was the one sneaking Edward in when I lived here for that little while, I just used to lie here in the dark, feeling infinitely jealous and really, really pissed." leaning up to put her head on his shoulder. He nodded and then said "If we'd just talked back then." sighing in regret.

"Yeah, I really feel like an idiot." Anna admitted, laughing a little, at this situation, at her feeling like she was breaking every rule in the book, when she was an adult, it's not like it mattered that she was sneaking Jacob into her room at night.

"It was both our faults." Jacob said as he felt the coolness to her skin, moved so that she was against him, and then asked, "Better?"

"Yeah. I was kinda cold. But this room gets so damn warm at night sometimes.." Anna said as she wiggled around, getting comfortable. This felt too right, too good and in some ways, her fears from earlier, during her sister's wedding still lingered. But she was going to try and work past them. Because she was finally, maybe with any luck about to get a chance at what she'd really wanted for a while now.

Jacob laughed and muttered, "Still a wiggler, I see." as she nodded and then said "Still a good body pillow." making him laugh, wrap his arms around her and mutter, "Sleep."

"I'm gonna try. Dreams like that one I had freak me out though. I mean for a minute, the cold feeling.. It really, really had me freaking out. I nearly screamed for dad. Then you showed up. I'm glad you did." Anna admitted quietly as Jacob smiled, nodded.

He growled to himself when just as she'd drifted off, started to snore, comfortably, and the howls of Sam, the others in the pack called him back to the woods. He got up, settled her back down into her bed and pulled up the covers around her, leaning down to kiss her on the forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow." he muttered as he leapt from the window, caught up to the pack in the woods.

**'The scent trail ended about 8 miles away from Charlie's house. Was anything there?' **Sam asked as Jacob's wolf form answered, _'No, but there had been. I could still sort of smell the fucking jerk. And he touched her. When I find this son of a bitch, Sam..'_

**'First we find out if they're a threat. For now, we watch over her, make sure she's not in any danger.. Which means, Jacob, whenever you're ready, you might want to have 'the talk' with her.. Just a thought.'**

_**'This should be interesting.'** _'And probably funny as hell. He's had 6 years to figure out a way to tell her she's his imprint and he still hasn't come up with one.'  
Embry mused as Jacob's wolf form shifted his eyes to his best friend's gray wolf form and he thought, _'Because, Embry, this kinda has to be right. I mean it's Anna. I've always..' _

**"WE KNOW JACOB!" **all of the wolves in the clearing thought to him as he grumbled mentally, then wanted to punch Quil seconds later when Quil said 'Oh and next time you go into her room at night, horndog.. Try NOT mentally telepathing everything you want to do to her? Nobody wants to know how you're gonna rip her shirt off. My brain is permanently scarred now.'

_'Haha, Quil. All of you, shut up.' _Jacob thought as they phased back, dressed and went home for the night. He settled into bed, arms behind his head as he growled in frustration, his stomach churning nervously. If he didn't approach this, telling her everything a certain way, he had no idea how she'd take it. He had to just tell her and hope for the best.

But the sooner the secret was finally out, apparently, the better. Because he was getting sick of hiding anything from her, having spent so much time without her, having wanted to have her completely to himself for such a very long time now. All of this unnecessary bullshit was standing in his way. But he was determined to do this right. He couldn't lose Anna.

He didn't even want to think about it coming to that. So yeah, he was really, really worried about how she'd take it when he told her he was a shifter who protected his tribe, and he'd imprinted on her the last time they'd been together before she left for 6 years, never came back until recently.


	13. Chapter 13

She took the stilettos off the second the mall closed and she'd finished counting down her cash drawer in the back room of Victorias Secret and rubbing her feet, she scowled. It'd been one hell of a day, and she was slowly finding out that life as a college student and part time worker, teaching dance classes on the side, to smaller kids who ranged anywhere from 6 to even 15 in her older classes, well.

It was not only physically but mentally draining. And it was playing hell with her sleeping schedule, but she trudged forward, determined to make something out of the messy and unexpected turn her life took almost 2 months ago now. The scars were fading, thankfully, even when she had her worst of 'insecure' days, the lessons learned during said wreck, during her almost dying and losing everything and everyone she loved, weren't.

Right now, all she wanted to do was get in her car, she'd purchased another Mustang recently, and beyond getting in her car, she wanted to drive home and either fall into bed, or run a long hot bath, just soak for a few hours. Jacob had to work, or so she thought, so she was surprised when she stepped out of the mall, and he picked her up, carrying her to the car. "I let Seth use the bike." he said as he added, "Thought we could drive home together?"

"So you came all the way here, to get me.." Anna muttered, smiling up at him a little, from her place in his arms. "You're not tired as hell too?" she asked, curious. He'd had to work, all day, the shop he worked in was backed up, she knew this from the texts he sent, his dry humor making her laugh several times in an otherwise long and painfully boring day.

"Tired, but you're probably twice as tired as me." Jacob said as he looked at her in concern and said "I still agree with your dad. Maybe you're pushing it, just a little?"

"Jake.." Anna warned gently, biting her lower lip. She couldn't help the way she was, really. She honestly didn't know how to do anything without overdoing it. He nodded and said quietly, "So.. How was work?"

"If I see one more pair of tits that are not my own, I will run from the greater Washington area, screaming.. I did get to try on the new bra today though. And I'm wearing it now. And it is like clouds for the twins." Anna said as Jacob struggled not to drop her in his laughing fit.

"It's red."

"And someone's trying to start something." Jacob said as he sat her down on the hood of her car, devouring her lips with his as he aimed the key at the lock. Truth be told, he'd decided. Tonight, he told her. And he wanted to do it in a special way.

Maybe it'd make it harder for her to run like hell when he 'wolfed' on her if he did it in a special way. He knew he had a lot to make up for, and he wasn't sparing anything, leaving any stone unturned. He was determined to do this right. "Are you okay?" Anna asked, eyeing him, her hand going to his forehead. As usual, he felt like his skin was boiling hot. She was worried about this, she constantly found herself wondering why and how the hell he got so hot and didn't die or go into shock or something.

"I'm fine." Jacob said as he sat her down into the passenger seat, kissed her forehead, got into the drivers seat. The motor of the car roared to life and he laughed as he said aloud, "And again, I ask.. Why do you insist on having a car that has too much motor for you?"

"Because it's red and sexy bitches drive red cars, Jacob." Anna joked as she slammed back two tylenols and washed them down with a bottled water, leaning the seat back. He looked over at her and said quietly, "Actually, there's something we need to talk about. You deserve to know and you need to know." while taking a few deep breaths as he drove her to the same place he'd taken her on their first ride on his motorcycle.

Because that spot was and would always be special to him now. She sort of opened up, or started to show signs here and there, sporadically, of doing so that night.

Anna's heart sank when he said what he did. What was he going to tell her? Was he going to walk out on her, on them now? What'd Bella need this time? She had everything now, the last time Anna checked. She had her obvious dream husband, she was on honeymoon on some deserted island and when she got back, she'd finally have her fairy tale ending.

Anna was just getting a shot at maybe giving herself a chance to let her guard down with Jacob. Jacob felt her tensing, he could practically feel the shift in her mood, so his hands found hers over the console that kept their seats apart and he gave it a gentle squeeze, muttered quietly, "Relax. I'm the one who should be nervous as hell right now. I'd deserve it if what I told you tonight changed anything and messed it up."

"Now you're really scaring me." Anna muttered, looking out the window of the car, the rain falling down outside. "And naturally, it's going to rain." she muttered dryly as Jacob nodded in agreement. The idle small talk was keeping them both from giving into fear and panic, but it wasn't helping much. The car came to a stop at the side of the road, just off of it, in the woods, near the clearing they'd went to when he'd taken her for the first ride on his motorcycle.

"Okay, Jacob, what's up?" Anna asked nervously as he killed the headlights and leaned over, pulling her lips into his, devouring them hungrily. Because if what he had to tell her freaked her out and she chose not to be with him, to let him love her, take care of her like he was meant to, according to the bond they shared, his having imprinted on her, that might be the last time he got to kiss her.

Anna broke the kiss and looked at him, brow raised, her hand in her hair, confused. If he were going to end things, as well as she knew him, if he were going to walk away, turn back to Bella, or whatever else she'd imagined, he wouldn't bring her out here, like this.. Nor would he bother kissing her like he was.

Something, however, was inherently off about the night, it was almost as if whatever he had to say, he was almost scared to say it.

"Jacob. Just do it."

"Okay, you asked for it." he said as he turned back on the headlights and leaning in, stole one more kiss and whispered quietly, "Close your eyes. You'll know when to open them." before getting out of the car. She closed her eyes, though she peeked through enough to see him taking off his boots, then his jeans, then the tank top he wore currently.

She heard a howl and biting her nails, she uncovered her eyes. For a moment, she looked for Jacob and then she panicked, seeing the large and reddish brown wolf standing there in the beams of her headlights, howling. She got out, yelling, panicked, looking around for Jacob.

Had the wolf gotten him? "Damn it, Jake, this is not the time for your practical joke shit. Come out already. I'm gonna call dad if you don't come out in ten seconds..." The wolf ventured slowly towards her, eyes locked on her as it nuzzled against her, his cold wet nose making contact with bare legs. She shivered, backed away a little, afraid, worried about Jacob right now more than anything.. Then it hit her.. He wasn't there and the wolf was. She hadn't heard anything to indicate that he'd been attacked, and if she knew anything about Jacob, she knew he'd put up one hell of a fight if he was backed into a corner.

Then she noticed the vibrant almost human like quality to the wolf's eyes and she gasped, fell to the ground in a faint. She came to, Jacob sitting with her head in his lap. He bit his lower lip as he said quietly, "I should have explained myself before I did that. Damn it, stupid."

"Jacob? What the fuck just happened?"

"The wolf, Anna.. It was me.." Jacob said as Anna blinked, letting the words sink in, letting them kick around in her brain, not entirely sure what to even say or do at the moment, in all honesty.

Then the story of the 3rd Wife, told to her all through childhood by Billy as a supposed "fairytale" before going to bed when their families camped together during the summer, or at least a massively changed and age appropriate version of it, came back to her.

"That shit was real? As in it really fucking happened?" Anna gaped as she raked her hand through her hair, her brain fighting with her good and god given common sense, both in a headlock for the moment as she found herself stumped.

He was always hot. He always seemed to find her if she wandered off when they were out together or something.. She took a deep breath and asked, "How long have you known, Jacob?"

"Since that night we had that huge fight when Edward was gone and Bella was being a drama queen, I was being an idiot.. I wasn't sure at first.." Jacob started as he said calmly, "I imprinted on you during our fight that night.. And then I phased no less than a week later."

She fixed her eyes on him and then asked, "You did what?"

"I imprinted on you. Meaning, Anna, that the past 6 years, without you, have been hell on Earth for me. They would have been either way, but they were so much worse like this. I kept trying to tell myself that I imprinted Bella and it rejected, so I wouldn't hurt so much while you were gone.. I actually hated myself for everything I said to you that night even worse when I figured out that there was no way I could deny the fact that you were my imprint and I just let you fucking leave like that." Jacob said quietly as he looked at his hands, stole a glance over at her.

"You basically tried to tell yourself it was my sister.. Did you just not want me?" Anna asked, biting her lower lip, slightly angry, a moment's jealousy surfacing as he looked at her and said quietly, "No, it wasn't like that."

"You just said it was, Jacob."

"No, Anna, I meant that I wanted it to be you, then you left, so I was trying to do anything to cope." Jacob said quietly, grumbling to himself. Naturally, he'd fuck this up.

Anna took a few deep breaths and asked calmly, "Explain the whole imprinting logic to me.." as she shifted her eyes towards him carefully, biting her lower lip, twisting her hair around her fingers as she tried to grasp at what he was trying to tell her.

"It's not like love at first sight, really. It's more like… gravity moves. When you see her, suddenly it's not the earth holding you here anymore. She does. And nothing matters more than her. And you would do anything for her, be anything for her… You become whatever she needs you to be, whether that's a protector, or a lover, or a friend, or a brother." Jacob said as he looked at his hands, then at her and added, "And I wanted it to be you all along. I just fought so hard at first because I honestly thought you hated me or something."

Anna took a few deep breaths and asked, "Why the hell did you think I hated you? Personally, I always kinda thought you hated me. I mean you were practically joined at the hip with my sister for the longest time..' her voice trailing off, mentally kicking herself. Again she bought up their wedge. She'd been trying not to, but tonight was bringing it all back to her, every single time she'd watch them together, knowing she was in love with him and he didn't even have a clue because of her own fears holding her back, keeping her from just telling him.

Forever though.. could they really hold it together that long? Even her own parents hadn't managed to hold it together that long.

"Are you going to say anything?" Jacob asked, panicking as Anna paced the clearing in the woods, kicking her car's tire, wincing as the pain ripped through the opposite leg to the one she'd hurt so badly in the wreck. "I can't right now, Jacob, because I'm freaking out here."

"Why?"

"Because, Jacob.. Nobody makes it forever. It's unrealistic for your genes to expect you to." Anna said quietly, then grumbled at herself. This was huge. She had to think. But she also knew that somehow, even with a full night or two even, of her thinking, she'd still reach the same conclusion..

No matter what the odds, she had to at least be willing to try. Because she'd wanted him so long now.. And they were so close to being there, getting together, finally making things right. Jacob laughed a little, bitterly, looked at her in slight fear as he asked, "So you don't think I'm actually what you want.."

"I didn't say that, Jacob, damn it." Anna said as she sighed and muttered "Sorry.. Just trying get my head around this. I mean until my sister told me about Edward, his family before her wedding.. I didn't even know any of this was real.", looking at him.

"I'll take you home." Jacob said in a flat voice as Anna held up a finger and said calmly, quietly and in a slightly commanding tone, "Sit. We're not going anywhere until I've finally convinced myself this isn't some bizarre overwork and stress related dream, damn it. We're not going anywhere until I say what I want."

He looked at her and she stood up, pacing, biting her thumb in thought, ignoring the ringing of her cell phone. Jacob sat there with his head in his hands as he waited, his heart racing. It seemed like almost 3 hours went by in the space of 15 minutes, and she got out of his sight.

"Anna, did you really just get so pissed you walked away, left the car?" he called out as she spoke up from behind him quietly, "I'm sitting back here. I want you to answer one thing, Jacob.. What do you honestly want. Shut off the shifter in you for just ten seconds and answer me. Think for yourself."

He sat there quietly, thinking. Anna paced, panicking quietly herself. This was extreme, yes, but this wasn't your average everyday scenario where two people happened to fall in love by choice. She had, apparently, his hand had been forced when the Cullens moving to Forks in the first place, triggered the dormant shifter gene and he wolfed out.

Jacob laughed to himself and asked, "Is that all? Really?"

"Just shut it and answer. For yourself. With your own mind. What do you want?" Anna said as she paced, her hands tangling in her long light brown hair as she looked up at the night sky, at the stars. His answer was going to decide how this went for them.

She jumped a mile into the air as his arms went around her from behind and she felt his warm breath on her neck as he answered quietly, "This is just me, Anna.. I was obviously in love with you before the gene was switched on. I mean I had to feel something for you already. It's not just you see a girl, you imprint on her, bam.. There has to already be some kind of feeling there, whether it be friendship or whatever. I mean I've started to think that. So if you're asking me what I want, Anna.. I want you." before turning her around, looking at her, his fingers tilting her face up so he could see her eyes when he asked her, "What do you want?"

"I want what I've always wanted, Jacob.. But I don't want it to tear us apart. I mean it has before when I tried to tell you that night.." Anna admitted. Jacob swore to himself and then said "I knew it. I knew you had something hidden in what you said that night."

"Guilty. I just.. I've never really believed in the whole happily ever after, Jacob.. You have to look.. Dad and Renee.. They didn't make it out unscathed. My sister's so addicted to this guy that she just married, she'd probably use her body as a human shield to keep him from getting killed.. If he could die, I mean.. And then there's me.. I'd die before I let anything happen to you, and it'd kill me if this didn't work out." Anna admitted as she looked up at him, taking a few deep breaths. The shock was wearing off, the situation in itself was sinking in, all of it.

"Ignoring the whole imprint thing for a minute, Anna.. I meant it. I wanted it to be you. I only tried to make myself believe it was your sister because I thought you weren't an option. I focused on her so much because she didn't seem to want to run every single time I came around. Even before the shifter thing came into play. Believe me, I'd have much rather been with you at least 90 percent of the time." Jacob admitted as Anna leaned against him warily, letting the heat from his skin warm her.

"But what if she comes back and she says that he wasn't the one, Jacob.. What then? Think for yourself, not with the damn shifter gene. Don't do what it tells you." Anna said as Jacob sighed and said quietly, "It wouldn't matter, Anna. I want you. I love you. I'd have chosen you, if I even thought you were an option. And if she comes back single, it won't matter. It won't change the way I feel. Shifter gene or not, you're honestly the one I want." Jacob said as Anna took a deep breath and said quietly, "Fuck fighting it. I want you too much to keep up fighting you off. I don't have the strength. I am so furious though, that you didn't even try to find me. That you basically just sat on this until now. That you're not getting away from anytime soon." Anna said as she looked up at him, bit her lower lip and asked, "Last night.. When you came into my room.. was there someone with me in there?"

"There had been."

"I knew it. Who was it?"

"I'm actually not sure. We know it wasn't a Cullen. It was another one, they smell different." Jacob said as Anna blinked, stifled a slight laugh before the panic for that set in. So she hadn't been dreaming.. But why the hell would anyone want her?

She didn't like vampires all that much to be honest. Nothing against them, she just much preferred humans or apparently, shifters to them. It was still hard to get her head around her sister marrying one, eventually she'd become one. The shiver crept up her back as Jacob held her against him and said quietly, "You're safe. Whatever it takes."

"Jacob, damn it, if you do something stupid and die on me." Anna grumbled as Jacob said quietly, "Well he's not getting his damn hands on you, either."

She nodded. She felt safe somehow, even though she knew that Jacob could be hurt too. Or killed even because he was a shape shifter.

Apparently even immortals and shape shifters all had things they had to be wary of, everyone had their own kryptonite.

"Are we okay?" Jacob asked quietly as Anna nodded and then said quietly, "It's going to take getting used to, but I want to try." while looking up at him. Now, she felt even more drained than she had when she'd gotten off of work tonight. Now she was drained on all facets, physically, mentally and emotionally.

"Take me home.. I totally need a fucking long hot shower." Anna said as she hugged against him, her lips brushing his neck, making him shiver, growl a little in a low tone. " That sounds tempting."

"Jacob, seriously? You're going to do that?" Anna asked, trying not to laugh a little at his insinuation. He shrugged and then smirking remarked, "Umm, it's kind of in my nature.. Hello, I did just turn into a giant werewolf." as he ducked the light shove she gave or tried to give him.

He put her into the car and they drove off, back towards her father's house. Somewhere during the short ride, he looked over, found her sleeping in the passenger seat. When he parked, he got out, picked her up and carried her inside as he laughed when Charlie asked, "She was tired."

"Definitely. It's apparently been one hell of a day for her, sir.. I umm, I had to tell her about me.. About what I showed you.."

Charlie studied him, slightly uncomfortable, still very much in the adjusting to more than humans in the world thing. "How'd she take it?" he asked in curiousity, getting the feeling that there of course had been more than what he'd told Charlie, but not pushing to know yet..

"Reasonably well. She's pissed at me for keeping it from her, and she's still trying to get her head around it.. But hopefully everything will be okay." Jacob said as Charlie nodded and said "Maybe it will."

Jacob carried her up to her room and lie her in the bed, putting her underneath the covers as he leaned over, kissed her as he had earlier, which had her waking up. He said quietly, "I'll see you later. If anything happens, Anna.. Text me. Promise."

She nodded sleepily, and rose up to kiss him before falling back asleep. She had a lot to think about right now, and she couldn't do that with little to no sleep like she'd been living on for a while now. The man she loved turned into a giant wolf. She definitely had to get used to this.


	14. Chapter 14

The previous night's announcement still weighed on Anna as she sat pushing her grits around in the bowl the next morning, lost in thought. When he said everything he did the night before, had he meant it, or had it been a result of the imprinting process he told her about?

Why not tell her about his being a shifter when he told Bella, years ago? Did he think she was that weak, that she didn't deserve to know? He was after all, her oldest friend. Before Bella came along and took him from her, of course. Nothing made sense anymore and as much as she wanted to give in and be happy, just let herself trust him, trust that he did love her, without the imprinting having happened, she was having a hard time doing that very thing.

"Are you gonna eat that or just stab at it all day?" Charlie asked as he eyed his daughter with concern and waited on her to answer. Anna shrugged and muttered something he couldn't really make out, and he asked her calmly, "What's wrong? You only stab your food within an inch of it's life, Anna, if you're angry."

"Not angry, just really, really confused, dad." Anna said quietly as she looked up and then took a bite of grits, pausing as she thought, then asked her father, "Say someone you've known pretty much forever tells you something. And he's known about it for a long time. And so has your sibling, but neither saw fit to tell you.. This same person says he loves you."

Charlie groaned inwardly, remembered what Jacob said that he'd had to tell Anna the night before as he took a sip of his morning coffee. "Well? Do you still believe he loves you?"

"Yeah, Dad, but see, the problem lies herein. Now I'm just not sure if he loves me by choice, or because some fucked up gene in his DNA tells him that he has to love me. It's confusing. I don't know what to do with what he told me, really. I mean do I still love him? Yes. Do I want to see where things go with us? Yeah. But am I sure I can deal with spending a lifetime with the guy knowing that he's only here because of some quirk in his DNA makes him stay? That I'm not so sure about."

Charlie sighed and said calmly, "What if I told you that maybe the fact that he loved you to begin with is the reason the quirk in his DNA singled you out in the first place? What if you're looking at all this backwards, Anna?" as he looked at his daughter.

When Jacob had told him everything, he'd of course, turned to Billy to answer his remaining questions, and Billy had sort of confided in him that Jacob really loved Anna all along, but Anna always seemed to avoid him or distance herself, so he'd turned to Bella in a desperate attempt to make Anna notice him.

Not once realizing Anna already did like him back, she was just too afraid to open up, let herself fall for someone and be hurt by it.

Anna mulled it over as she rubbed her forehead, wrinkling her nose in disgust at herself. It did make sense... And she did know now that he had felt something for her before he'd imprinted on her. What he'd felt, she wasn't entirely sure of, but she knew he wouldn't just lie about it.

Her cell phone rang and she eyed it, nervously, not sure if she could actually talk to him right now. She just had to be sure he loved her without the genetics thing coming into play. She needed proof. Normally, she'd have went on blind faith, but given all she and Jacob had been through, she just wasn't sure if her blind faith would be enough.

"Your phone's ringing."

"I know, dad. Just trying to decide how I feel about this." Anna muttered as she bit into a slice of toast. The phone kept ringing and finally, she picked it up, walking outside. "Jacob.. Hey."

Jacob groaned inwardly. She'd obviously been upset and confused by last night, now she was either freaking out and distancing or just trying to decide how she felt about his being what he was, his having imprinted on her. He sighed quietly as he asked, "You okay?"

"Yeah. I'm just thinking." Anna said as she sighed and then asked, "Dad says that he agrees with you, what you told me last night.. maybe what happened was because you felt something all along.. That you don't just love me because of the imprinting thing.. Is he right?" Anna asked as she bit her lower lip, paced the length of the patio.

Jacob laughed a little and said calmly, "He is right, Anna. I thought this was all behind us.."

"I just can't get my head around you keeping this from me, Jacob. I mean my sister knew. My fucking sister knew and I had not a single clue. What am I supposed to do with that?" Anna asked as Jacob sighed quietly and then asked, "So you're mad because Bella knew and I didn't tell you."

"Mhmm. Yeah, I'm mad and I'm jealous and it sort of hurts too." she said as she stopped pacing, sank down on a chair and sighed, saying quietly, "But I love you. I can't just turn that off. "

Jacob smiled, pacing his bedroom as he asked, "Are you okay with this?"

"I think so, yeah. But we're not rushing off and going to Vegas or something. Understood? We're going to at least see how all this works before we make any permanent decisions. And we're still moving slow." Anna said as she bit her nails, studied the phone, smiled a little to herself. She'd put him through what he put her through, and she'd tortured him with how she'd felt for a while now since she'd been back. So maybe they could do this, they could make this work.

She had to hope so. She still wanted him, she still pictured her 'ideal' or perfect life with him as a part of it, a huge part of it. Most girls couldn't say what she could, they couldn't say that they'd met their Prince Charming at the age she had.

They also couldn't say that they'd actually wound up with the same person they pictured to be that right guy for them. But no matter how hard Anna had tried not to, she just instantaneously pictured Jacob whenever she tried to picture her future.

And there really wasn't any sense in deluding herself when she knew that nobody else would ever do it for her, nobody would ever make her feel the way he managed to make her feel, even when he was pissing her off completely.

So yeah, she wanted to hang onto that as tightly as she could. Even if it meant having to embrace this new development, what he'd told her finally, last night.

Jacob sighed as he nodded to himself. He knew if she had rejected the whole thing, he wouldn't have been able to blame her. He also knew that he loved her, with or without this happening to them. She was his, she was the girl he pictured the rest of his life with. She always had been, he'd just been too stupid to realize that before.

"Okay, I can deal with that." he said quietly as he asked, "Do you have to work today?"

"Nope. This girl owes me for covering her shift. And my classes got cancelled. Why?" Anna asked as she managed a smile, convinced herself, without even really having to try and do so, that everything would be okay. That she was going to do this, trust that it wasn't just his being a shifter that made him want her.

"Because, I just kind of thought we could do something today?" Jacob asked as Anna laughed and said "What if we just sit around and do nothing today? I hate admitting this, but I need to slow down and rest. I was gonna be lazy and watch movies or something. You can come over if you want."

"I'm on my way." he said as he hung up, smiling to himself, bolting out the door of his father's house. A few minutes later, he was sitting in the den at Anna's, and she was making him groan, pouting as he tried to point out that he didn't want to watch chick movies. But of course, the pout she gave in response made him give in and he found himself getting sucked into An Officer And A Gentleman.

Charlie laughed to himself from the doorway as Jacob looked up and said "Taking one for the men." as Charlie laughed and said "That's always been her favorite movie. She's not in there mouthing the lines.. Is she?"

"Mhmm. And she's used half the Kleenex." Jacob joked, Anna scowling playfully at both of them as she pointed out, "Hey.. You cried at a movie once."

"It was sad. They demolished a perfectly good Mustang."

"Jacob, it was a car chase." Anna said as she looked at him, brow raised. He shrugged and took a bite of the chips in his lap, to keep from saying anything dumb before pulling her into his lap for the rest of the movie. Maybe they could make this work.

Now all he had to do was get his hand on the damn leech threatening her, demolish the bastard. Then neither of them would spend every second together looking over their shoulders for incoming danger.


End file.
